Lessons Learned at NLCSO

Honestly, I had my doubts about NLCSO (National Leadership Conference for State Officers). Having had so much fun at BLAST Off, I didn’t see how could this be much better. So, I was a little worried. But with the encouragement of others and my teammates I went into the conference with an open mind towards whatever the week might hold.

 I quickly learned that I would be hiking up the side of a mountain to start off my week at NLCSO. You have to understand that I am not a good hiker at all, so I knew from the start that this was going to be interesting. This was also one of the steepest mountains that I had ever seen, let alone climb. I started off the hike with little faith in myself. The thoughts running through my head were that I was never going to be able to do it. There was no way I would make it to the top. The mind game had already started. The more tired I got the louder the voices in my head got. But then it hit me. Why would I let myself quit? Why would I let the doubt in my head win? I was stronger than my thoughts. So I fought just as a warrior does. Every time I felt too tired to continue I told myself not to give up but to keep going. I knew that if I could win this battle in my head then I could overcome any challenges that I would face this coming year.

As they say, “Slow and steady wins the race”. I did eventually make it to the top of the mountain that day and boy am I glad I did. The sight was so worth it! That day taught me a lot. Every fear that I have ever had was shot down that day. I was stronger then my fears, I was stronger than giving up and I was stronger than taking the easy way out. It was a reminder that whatever comes my way this year and years to come I would be able to conquer it. I am so thankful for that hike and what it taught me!

NLCSO taught me many more things. Conflict has been something I tend to fear. I like to avoid it as much as possible. But at NLCSO I was taught that conflict is not a bad thing. Conflict is going to make my team stronger this year. Conflict is the result of passion.

So I can say that I had a totally amazing time at NLCSO! I met some amazing state officers from all over (West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and Puerto Rico) and spent time with two outstanding national officers (Wyatt Dejong and James Flatt). I had the opportunity to hike up Seneca Rocks, see the beauty of Black Water Falls, take a ride on a ski lift in the middle of the summer and hear our FFA opening ceremony in Spanish. As a team we had a memorable moment as our theme for the year was created, IGNITE THE POWER!

Sometimes when you think you know how something is going to turn out it often happens quite the opposite. I am so glad that’s what happened at NLCSO. 

State President’s Conference

Tuesday, July 26 was an exciting morning for Dani and I as we made our way through the streets of our nation’s capitol. Our destination was one that had been in the back of our minds since state convention and one that we knew would give us an opportunity to make a difference in ourselves and in the National FFA Organization. Our destination was the State President’s conference. After a short drive, some wrong turns, and driving through the employee parking lot of the Pentagon, we found our way to the L’efant Plaza hotel, where this year’s conference was to be held. As soon as we arrived we were greeted by state officers from all over the country and had an opportunity to kick off the week by meeting and talking with many of them. It was awesome to get to know so many amazing people and to begin some friendships that could potentially last a very long time.

After doing some unpacking and getting situated in the hotel we made our way back down to the lobby where we met with all six of the National FFA Officers. After some pictures and some more mingling with other state officers we kicked off the week with our first session. We learned about what we would be doing throughout the week and what we could do to make the week and the upcoming year the best that they can be. We also learned about the delegate process, which is a major part of the State President’s Conference, along with how we would be making decisions and voting on issues that could change the organization. After some evening reflections at the Capitol, we enjoyed a nice ice cream social and some free time.

On Wednesday, Dani and I had a chance to meet with our Congressmen and Senators to talk about agricultural education and FFA. Talking with each of them, gave us an opportunity to express the importance of our organization and the importance of agriculture education, not only in Virginia but in the entire nation. These meetings were also a way for us to advocate for the agriculture industry and discuss issues that farmers and other agriculturalists are facing today. Later we had the wonderful opportunity to visit the United States Department of Agriculture building where we met with Secretary Tom Vilsack who spoke about issues facing the agriculture industry. We also were able to sit down in groups to discuss potential additions to the Farm Bill that will be passed in 2012. For us, this was an opportunity to express our views of what changes we think could be made involving United States agriculture and FFA. We also finished up Delegate issues and prepared our committees for the work that will be done at the National FFA Convention in October.

The State President’s Conference concluded with a day of tours and free time in Washington D.C. We were able to see the Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, F.D.R. Memorial, as well as many others. The last day was one that was sad but was one that was very hopeful. As we left Washington D.C. and made our way back home, we were left empowered to make this organization better and to continue our work at National Convention. We looked forward to seeing each other again and having the opportunity to work with 375 more delegates in October.

For me, the week was a very exciting one that was filled with new adventures and opportunities that I had never had. I was able to visit so many new places, meet some amazing people, and make some memories that will last a lifetime. It was a very successful week and I look forward to continuing the work that was done at SPC at National convention.

Young Farmer’s Summer Expo!

On July 29^th and 30^th Katie Lukens, Ashlyn Nunley, Tori Avvenire and myself attended the Farm Bureau Young Farmer’s Summer Exposition in Tidewater, VA. I have been to that part of the state before, but only on the way to the beach or a volleyball tournament when I was in high school. Visiting the area to learn about agriculture was a whole new experience for me and is one that I will never forget.

Agriculture in the south-eastern part of the state is very different than where I’m from in the Shenandoah Valley. The climate is so much muggier, and when I say muggy I mean hot and humid. The big crops are corn, soy beans, peanuts, and cotton. At home we have plenty of corn and soy beans, but I can honestly say that before this trip I had never seen cotton and peanut plants. Seeing a bowl of cotton, even though it wasn’t ready to harvest, was really awesome and I learned that it keeps the cotton fibers wet until it’s time to harvest. I kind of hate to admit this but I also never knew that peanuts were grown in the ground. Along with tours of peanut and cotton farms, we were able to tour the Stihl factory, Amadas Coach Bus facility, and Amadas peanut  combine manufacturing plant. I was amazed at seeing first hand the step by step process of creating a machine that I have only seen broken down enough to change the oil or fix a carburetor. I guess you could say that you always have the ability to learn if you take the opportunities that are presented to you.

Young Farmer members were also given the opportunity to compete in different events for the opportunity to go to the National Competition in Hawaii. The officers were asked to help mediate the Discussion Meet competition where members were given a topic to discuss for roughly fifteen minutes. The competition opened with each contestant giving a 30 second introduction, then they collectively discussed the topic for thirteen minutes, and after the discussion gave a one minute closing statement. Just from the conversations that I was able to listen to, I learned a lot about issues facing the agriculture industry such as rising technology and encouraging agricultural groups to work together for the common good of the industry. There was also a contest for high school juniors and seniors to exhibit their passion for the agricultural industry for the chance to be named the Outstanding Young Agriculturalist and receive a scholarship. This year’s outstanding Young Agriculturalist is Rebekah Slabach from the Halifax FFA chapter. Contratulations Rebekah on your accomplishments!

I had so much fun at the Summer Expo and learned so much about the diversity of Virginia’s agriculture! So often we lose appreciation for the things we have because we forget where it comes from. The next time you purchase clothes, jump on your tractor to begin your harvest, grab a quick snack, or take a tour on a charter bus, I challenge you to take a step back and think of the agriculturalists that it took to make or produce it, and appreciate the fact that we have these individuals to keep us clothed, full, and able to see what all Virginia has to offer.

 

Tee Time!

Monday July 18^th the officer team traveled out to the Rivanna Resort and Golf Club for the 15^th Annual Virginia FFA Foundation Golf Tournament! The officers arrived early that morning to help set up and fill gift bags for all the golfers. After registering and receiving their gift bags the ten golf teams were off to the green to play some golf! Some teams took the game of golf very serious and wanted nothing less than a first place finish, while other teams were more focused on having a good time and entertaining each other, but all were there to support the Virginia FFA Foundation!

After tee off, the officers were able to ride throughout the course in golf carts! We got to take pictures of golfer’s in action, sponsorship signs, and everyone enjoying the sunny day. It was wonderful to have a chance to speak to the teams all through the day. Nina even got the opportunity to try her hand at golf, but the tree she hit in the woods wasn’t very happy about it! After concluding their games the golf teams joined together again to have a BBQ lunch.

Prize sponsors donated items to be given to the individuals and teams that reached high achievements. Following that a putting contest was held where individuals got an opportunity to see who could putt closest to the hole. Congratulations to the Beverley Manor Middle School sponsored golf team for winning the tournament, and to Dr. Glen Anderson for winning the individual putting contest!

The FFA Foundation works to help fund Virginia State Career Development Events, Proficiency Awards and various degree programs for the FFA organization. Maintaining a financially secure Virginia FFA Foundation helps to ensure that members will be able to continue down a successful path of agricultural opportunities. Through sponsoring individuals, teams, or events, FFA supporters can help support the bright future of agricultural education!

On behalf of the 2011-2012 State Officer Team, I would like to thank all of the sponsors who made this 15^th Annual Virginia FFA Foundation Golf Tournament such a success!

FFA Camp

The last time I attended FFA Camp I was in the eighth grade. I never imagined the next time I would be attending, I would be a state officer! When I look back to my camp memories, I’ll never forget how excited I was to meet the new state officers of that year, learn the aspects of leadership, and be able to make new friendships. As I was getting ready to leave for camp this time, I saw many Facebook posts that read “Leaving for FFA camp tomorrow, I’m so excited!” Reading these posts really made my day, and I was more than excited to meet all the campers and get started the following afternoon.

Once the campers arrived at Graves Mountain Lodge they registered, received their FFA Camp shirt, settled in their cabins, and mingled with the other campers! After eating a delicious dinner provided by the lodge, the 2011-2012 state officer team joined the campers as they played a version of capture the flag. After the campers made their way back to the Recreation Hall, the counselors went over the rules and guidelines for the week. Also, the 2011-2012 state office team introduced themselves to the campers! Once the orientation was finished, the teams made their team poster that was going to be hung in the Recreation Hall, and came up with very creative team names such as the Dominators, Armada, Camp Champs, and the A-Team. The skies had finally cleared up enough to continue on with the night’s last activity, a scavenger hunt! Campers spilt up into groups within their own group and searched the campground with clues they were given. The Camp Champs came out on top! After an overwhelming but fun-filled day, Joy and Wes gave reflections on the dinner activity.

On Tuesday, the campers attended classes, including Livestock Judging, Environmental Sciences, Public Speaking, Teamwork, Communication, Horticulture, and Advanced Leadership. After dinner, the fun began! First, groups competed in the Ag Olympics, consisting of a water balloon toss, wheelbarrow race, a three-legged race, and sack race. It was competitive yet a lot of fun! The campers collected all the remaining water balloons, and decided to sneak up on the new state officers. Although the water was cold, it was a water balloon fight to remember! Our adventures then continued with a scenic hayride around the Graves’ Mountain Lodge. We all enjoyed hearing Mr. Graves’ stories about the farm, and having a chance to bond with FFA members and advisors. Next, the campers enjoyed a little competitive fun with the Quiz Bowl Tournament and the Talent Show. The past state officer team were declared the winners of Quiz Bowl, with the advisor team coming in second. The talent show began immediately after Quiz Bowl, and showcased the many talents of FFA members across Virginia! We enjoyed a wide variety of talents from singing and dancing to a mock dating show and a cereal commercial. Everyone enjoyed the show, and all of the talent participants were terrific!

To close the night, we announce the 2011 camp officers!Tori Campbell from Randolph-Henry FFA was appointed to Student Advisor, Kristen Jones from Chickahominy FFA was elected to Sentinel, Holly Funkhouser from Signal Knob FFA was appointed camp Reporter, and Mitch Wallace from Nottoway FFA was elected to the position of Treasurer. Makayla Liptrap from Stuarts Draft FFA was elected as Secretary, Bethany Gochenour from Signal Knob FFA was appointed as camp Vice President, and (last but not least!) DJ Fisher from Nottoway FFA was elected as camp President.

Campers continued with their classes Wednesday afternoon, and attended the annual camp banquet that evening. The appointed camp officers were given an opportunity to experience the responsibilities of being an officer by presiding over the camp awards  banquet. Awards were presented to campers for their performances in the Forestry Judging, Livestock Judging, and Public Speaking Contests. Tess Siebel presented the FFA Creed to the banquet hall and the L.T. Trice Award was presented to an outstanding camper. On behalf of the state officer team, we would like to congratulate every camper on a job well done the entire week!

Following the banquet and once the campers changed out of Official Dress, we met at the pavilion to have a dance party! Our own Wes Kline acted as DJ for the night and even provided the entertainment of his own dance moves. Campers and Officers danced to all varieties of music together, and everyone had a blast –at one point there was even a human train moving through the pavilion! To end the night, the counselors made a camp fire for everyone to gather around. Reflections were about overcoming your fears & obstacles. Brianna, James, and Rebecca shared their fears & obstacles they have had to overcome. Each camper wrote a fear/obstacle on a piece of paper and one by one they threw the paper in the fire. Afterwards, everyone was able to toast marshmallows and make s’mores!

Throughout the week many friendships and memories were made, and life lessons were learned. My teammates and I had a blast meeting and getting to know so many awesome FFA members! I would personally like to encourage all members to take advantage of all the great opportunities FFA has to offer like camp. I am already very excited to go back to camp as a counselor next summer!

3…2…1…BLAST Off!!!

This past week, the new 2011-2012 Virginia FFA State Officers got to leave their home towns and drive (many miles for some of us) to Graves Mountain Lodge in Syria, VA for our leadership training conference, BLAST OFF (Building Leaders and Strong Teams of Officers). On July 10th, we met at Graves Mountain Lodge and were introduced to our BLAST OFF trainer Rick Henningfield.  We set off on a five day adventure to learn more about what being a state officer is, what it will take, who we want to become, and who each one of us are as an individual.

Through those five days, we talked about what leadership means to each of us, and what kind of leader we want to be for thousands of members this year. We reflected on the past experiences and memories that got us to who we are today and what kind of influence we want to have in others. We did activities and games where we modeled expectations which taught us that there will always be peers watching us and looking up to us as a good leader. We received many gifts that will help us in the upcoming year such as planners to help us with time management, and journals so that we can write about the amazing experiences that we will have in the upcoming year. We also received Habitudes books to help us reflect on who we want to become, and even a much needed laundry bag for all of our long trips.

We discovered how to individually build relationships with people we will meet, and then got to put those skills to the test by going out every evening and interacting with FFA Camp members by playing games, having dinner with them, and sitting down and having one on one conversations with them. Toward the end of the week, we had taken in a lot of information, practiced successful public speaking, built lifelong relationships and friendships with members at FFA Camp, and received many generous gifts including our Association jackets. In the end, we set goals for ourselves this year, and discovered more about ourselves both individually and as a team. We eagerly anticipate getting our year started and putting all of our newly learned skills to work to have a great 2011-2012!

Hello Virginia FFA!

Welcome to our new State Officer Blogs!  We are excited to share our adventures and reflections with you throughout the year.  It is our sincere hope that by providing you with descriptions about our lives and experiences as Virginia FFA State Officers, that you will become excited and informed about what FFA, agriculture, and agricultural education has to offer you.  Thanks for visiting our site and please come back again!