2009-2010 Minnesota FFA Association

A better version of ME for YOU...

2010-04-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

Let’s think back 10 years ago… I’m not sure what your age was, but I was a 3rd grader at Holy Redeemer Catholic School in Marshall, Minnesota. In that one year, I learned a couple things. I learned that if you want to spend an entire week staying in for recess, you should play Mortal Combat with your friends. When working on a sewing project in class, make sure that you know where the needle is otherwise you begin to bleed profusely. I learned that if you would like your Pokémon cards taken away, you should play with them during class…I still don’t have my Bulbasaur. And, if you want to win the spelling bee, you better know that the word LIMB has a “B” at the end. One day, amidst my own adventures in learning my teacher, Miss Boe, sat our class down and told us this story:

A man was running on the beach, and noticed ahead of him a young boy throwing something into the ocean. As he got closer he noticed that the boy was throwing starfish into the ocean. The man asked,
“What are you doing that for?”
The youth replied,
“I’m throwing starfish back into the ocean. The tide is going out and if they don’t get back in, they will die!
“Child, can’t you see the hundreds of starfish along the beach? Don’t you know that there hundreds of miles of beach? You can’t possibly make a difference.”
Then the youth bent down and picked up another starfish and threw it into the ocean.
“I made a difference to that one!”

This past summer, while sitting on the Metro transit train in Washington D.C., a number of Metro riders began throwing questions at me…
“Yo man, whats up with dat blue jacket!?”
“Excuse me officer, could you tell those children to pipe down?”
With a smile on my face, I answered their questions, but then had to quick jump off to transfer lines. One day, just as I was used to, a finger tapped me on the shoulder and a voice asked, “Excuse me sir, but could you tell me about your jacket?” I once again explained, but instead of leaving the Metro I stayed on because she asked me to talk with her. I sat and listened. Germaine is from Cameroon in Africa. She told me of how she lost her father at a young age, her family was poor and yet she still managed to come to the United States 5 years ago. She came for medical school and even though she knew zero English, she was still taking regular undergraduate courses in English. This past year, she received a full ride scholarship to John Hopkins. Its one of the top medical schools. But, she isn’t becoming a doctor for the title, money or prestige- she is taking it straight back to Cameroon to help her sick community. She doesn’t make inspirational speeches, she hasn’t made any scientific breakthroughs and she hasn’t won any athletic trophies. Instead of trying to do something she isn’t as capable of, she invests her time in what she can offer. Germaine makes a difference because she is who she is, for others.

Well, sounds like I will never make a difference, I can’t be a doctor- I barely passed Chem. 1015! But no, that’s not the point. What Germaine did, just as many other people before her have done, is focused on what she can do and used it for the betterment of others. Time spent thinking about what we can’t do, or who we aren’t is time taken away from being who we are, and giving what we can.

But a step beyond just being who you are, we need to be the best version of who we are.

I’m no Martin Luther, or Shawn Harper or Spiderman- but I am Kirby Schmidt. When I asked some of my friends to describe, who I was, they said I was: hardworking, motivated, energetic, caring and service oriented… Oh and they said that I was kind of a dork. When I think about it, I would say that those are some core beliefs that make up the best version of who I am- dork included. Do our daily actions reflect who we really are?

Each of us can identify at least one time on our own lives where our actions or decision didn’t reflect the best version of who we really are. Have you ever had someone say to you, “I can’t believe you said that, did that, acted like that?!”… When I think back to times like that; Yeah, I can’t believe it either. That’s not who I am, or anything that I believe in- it eats me up to think about it. The thing is friends, we have all made mistakes that don’t reflect who we are, but we still have today and the rest of our lives to be who we really are for others and the world.

In the summer of 2007, I went to my very first FFA camp. I had never been to any other type of camp, but this was the best! I had a blast, I made new friends and above all I wasn’t afraid to be my energetic, motivated, dorky self. Amidst all of the crazy fun that happens at camp, like the Rec. directors Brand Lanoue and Kayla Pearson chasing each other around banging pots, pans and bells- or my own secret scheme to cover the first person to fall asleep in our room with shaving cream, I noticed that one particular girl was not. She sat by herself at lunch, during flag raising ceremonies she walked alone and was MIA during Rec. time. Immediately, I got frustrated,

“How can someone not be having a good time at camp? Should I tell the state officers, an advisor?”

but I soon realized that instead of passing the problem onto someone else, I could just go and talk to her. So I did. During lunch, I plunked myself right across the table from her and starting talking. My friends were wondering what the heck I was doing over here, but I focused on something that I could do...

Just talk...

The conversation started slow, but after a while of establishing some common ground and a couple jokes, we had a better conversation. Later on in the week she resumed to her shy-self. Finally, it was banquet time. I wasn’t sure what exactly this was either, but my friends told me to do it because it would be fun. It turns out; I had to leave camp early. Just before I left, I found the girl and encouraged her to give banquet committee a shot; it could be a lot of fun for her. I then packed up and went back to Marshall.
I think back and I can say that in those moments, I was one of the better versions of who I really am. Yeah, my friends thought I was weird, but I can’t deny what goes through my heart and mind when I see someone alone, or in a bad mood. I just need to give them what I can. I care, and I give them my time… But it wasn’t a while until I heard back from her.

Making a difference doesn’t happen because you can quote someone’s famous words, or imitate the actions you saw someone else do successfully. It comes straight from here. It comes from being not only who you are, but the best version of who you are. Being who you are for others. It wasn’t until last fall, about 2 years after camp that a good friend of mine came up to me and said, “Hey Kirby, you wouldn’t believe the great story I heard. I was at a chapter banquet and the chapter president talked about how some guy named Kirby came up to her at camp and encouraged her to get involved. Did you know that she was on the banquet committee?
I couldn’t believe it, all I did was talk to her for like 15 minutes total!

How could I have possibly made a difference?

How can we possibly make a difference?!!

Each day there is someone, some cause, something out there that is waiting for you. They aren’t waiting for you teachers, your parents, your other friends because who they really need is you. You are enough. Germaine, despite her setbacks, is where she is because that it what her life is about. Serving others, especially the people of her native country. Finally that starfish story is hitting me. When I think back to my time at FFA camp, even though there we many opportunities for me to hang out with my friends or make 20 new friends, instead I focused on the one thing I could do. Just give one person a chance. A chance can make a change. What is 10 minutes out of our day, after school, on the weekend? To you it may be nothing, but to the world out there, waiting for you to step up and be who you really are- it makes a difference. Whatever it is in your life, do it not only for yourself but for others.

My life, well…I’m just trying to be a better version of me for you.

So I met this guy...

2010-04-21T21:18:00.001-07:00

Forewarning: this isn't an earth shattering or ground breaking blog post, and it should be quick!

Once upon a night class, our Agricultural Education class was handed out a test to take. It was a pilot test to test the difficulty of the test for future test takers- TEST.
Just as I finished answering questions about how to accurately saw a board, define why steel is galvanized and what may cause an infection 'blackleg' in cattle the test proctor pulled me aside. He said,
"Hey I need to tell you something. So, I'm no Ag Ed guy or FFA person but my dad was. In fact, he came up with the concept of the corduroy jackets."

If this is true- WOW!
If this is not true- carry on...

JEEPERS! It was exactly one year ago at this time that I woke up in the morning thinking to myself.
"Is this real?"
Now I still wake up and say,
"Is this real?"
Just as I began a new chapter, and conclude it I still find myself asking the same questions.

Slow down!

2010-04-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

I feel like a guy driving a wagon of runaway horses, because I keep saying to myself: "Whoa!"
This past month has been a non-stop roller coaster, and I just want to say,

STOP!

Give me a minute to breathe!!

I cannot believe that in 2 weeks, this campus will be flooded with over 3,000 FFA jackets, and the in 3 weeks I will have retired as a state officer.
Before I begin to reminisce this past year, I need to fill you in on what has happened in the past month- BANQUETS!!!
Lyon County Corn and Soybean Growers-
... For one night I got to go home and spend time with my family. Lyon county is my home county, so it was nice to have the location near. Here, Tracy and Marshall FFA members as well as Greg Tusa from Jackson County Central FFA joined me at the banquet. The current chair, Jeff Buyck, 2004-2005 MN FFA State President and my mentor, invited me to the event. I had a conversation with two young agriculturalists, Jayden and Mason. They are 5 and 8, yet their age does not limit them from their interest and knowledge of working in the field. As many times as I hear about the "future of agriculture", it has encouraging to see it as well. To my surprise, by the end of the night, I was also elected to the Lyon County Board of Directors! Thank you to the Lyon County Corn and Soybean Growers for inviting me, and for the producers who continue to support it.

Hutchinson FFA-
...What do you get when you combine:
1. Rubik's cubes being solved just over a minute
2. A unicyclist that climbs stairs
3. Pork sandwiches
4. A Hannah Montana routine
5. and stories of an extreme snowball fight ?
- THE HUTCHINSON FFA BANQUET! Yep, everything listed happened at this banquet. I had a great time catching up with my old friends from Hutch, as well as making some new ones. Congrats to Katie, the Star Greenhand! She received a $75 scholarship to attend camp this summer. Thank you to Kelsey, Jaden, Katie, Chelsea, Briana, Zach and Miranda for putting on a great banquet! Congratulations to the new, 2010-2011 Chapter officer team!

Region IV FFA-
... Thank you to Erin, Doreen, Bailey, Andrew, Kelvin, Tanner and other members of the officer team for putting on a great banquet! I caught up with some Foley FFA members, including Ashley who was recently announced as a Star Farmer Finalist! Good luck to this year's team especially the 2010-2011 Region IV President- Sabrina Kieser from Howard Lake-Waverly-Winstead FFA! I also thoroughly enjoyed driving around the gravel roads of Waverly in attempt to find the huge fire that was burning with Crystal and Doreen.

Owatonna FFA-
... I love Owatonna. A lot. Their banquet was jammed packed with delicious food, a live auction, talent and great stories from Mr.Spindler. Congratulations are due to Travis, who will represent Region VII at State Convention in the Talent competition. Also, to the Dekalb Award winner DJ.
If you have a sweet tooth for over 17 dozen, different flavored cookies- come next year and place you bid for them! They sold for over $200! Don't worry, the funds go straight back to the chapter in helping with state convention expenses. Thank you to DJ, Steph, Kelsey, Andrew, Lisa, Jen, Matt and Brooke for putting on a great banquet! Good luck to this year's newly elected officers, and serving as the Region VII President, Kelsey Mussman.

... Now I need to get back to working on MORE CONVENTION STUFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Forest Lake FFA Banquet

2010-03-23T10:50:00.000-07:00

My very first FFA Banquet of the year I was invited to go to the Forest Lake FFA Chapter! One thing that I could tell that this chapter cherishes is their history. At the entrance, there were scrapbooks dating back almost 3o years! I enjoyed watching the transformation of the different members throughout the scrapbooks. For example, to watch how a the shy Greenhand with out her own jacket in the pictures transformed to a member at camp, to a member carrying plaques for public speaker to my current teammate: Katie Miron. Forest Lake is also home to the Daninger family, who all have a rich history with the National FFA Organization and the dairy industry. Luke, Erin, Nathan and Mariah are all current Forest Lake FFA members. Their father was a past state FFA officer! In case you didn't know, their family bottles their own milk at Autumnwood Farm. Quite simply, it is heaven in a glass. I think their milk should be coined as the official drink of the Minnesota FFA. http://autumnwoodfarmllc.com/index.html

Erin, Carter, Sarah, Kayla, Andrew, Matt, Nathan

Photo courtesy of Kristy Mussman

The night highlighted the accomplishments of the members of the chapter from their National Food Science team to their Million Hour Challenge Award.This chapter is most definitely a great example of what is means to be engaged with the members, school and community it serves. While I believe credit is due to the students, because this is a student led organization, I think that the advisors- Mr. Marzolf, Mr. Miron and Mrs. Ward deserve as much recognition. Just from the glimpses that I saw of them, I could tell that they have not only invested their time into their careers, but into the students. It is because of Agricultural Educators like them that agricultural education continues to change lives.

Thank you to the Forest Lake FFA Chapter for inviting me to your banquet, feeding me and allowing me to gain insight on the individual and team successes your chapter continues to support.

I can't wait until more!!!!

Napkin Doodles

2010-03-22T08:56:00.000-07:00

This was our last SOPD of the year! It was bitter-sweet as we spent the day with the leaders of Alliance Pipeline and learned more about the over 1.6 billion cubic feet of natural gas that is delivered through the pipeline EVERY DAY.
Have you ever found yourself doodling on a napkin at a restaurant? I have. In fact sometimes I leave pictures for the waitress... OK SO BEYOND THAT FACT!- The idea of bringing natural gas from north eastern British Columbia, Canada all the way down to Chicago, Illinois, USA started with doodling on a napkin!

The system itself it quite complex, and the science and engineering is incredible. You might need a helmet because this stuff will blow your mind. However, I can't even tell you about it because it was really over my head. What I can tell you is that Alliance Pipeline ensures that their service will continue to support the health, environment and communities impacted by the pipeline.

Alliance Pipeline is a great friend of Minnesota FFA as the help with the sponsorship of hundreds of scholarships for FFA members to attend our state camps in the summer. Tony Straquadine and Ken Goulart - employees at Alliance - have also served on the Minnesota FFA Foundation Boards. I am personally thankful for their support because if it weren't for their scholarship I would have never gone to the camp that has helped shape me into the leader and person I am today.

Not only does Alliance Pipeline support scholarships for FFA members, they support the future of us, members.

THANK YOU, cannot even begin to describe my gratitude.

FFAvorite Week continued...

2010-03-01T15:17:00.000-08:00

Just after sneaking back to finish my Animal Science test, I packed up for the long haul home for the weekend with some stops along the way.

First stop: Springfield FFA!
My good friend from camp, and cabin roomate, Kelly invited me to some to their chapter meeting and 2nd annual Wii Tournament. Yes. Wii Tournament. Traffic kept me away from making the short meeting, but it didn't keep me away from total domination in the tournament! Once making myself at home in the Ag Room in Springfield, I got the chance to catch up with some friends: Jordan,Kelly, Jeremy, Cheyenne, Andy, Tyler, David and Mr. Brown.
Jordan... is college bound for St.Cloud. Due to his hard work in basketball, he has been offered a nice scholarship to play there. Jordan will retire this year as a Region VI FFA officer.
Andy...is younger than I thought he was. All year, I kept thinking he's graduating, but he still has another year. I had a great conversation with him and talked through the National Chapter Award. It's encouraging to know that he still has another year to serve as a positive role model in his school. He is currently serving as chapter president.
THE set up for the tournament was awesome, with 2 Wiis going simultaneously, each projected on the wall of the Ag Room/Library. Kelly and I were partners, and remember how I mentioned my 'total domination'? That's is more of a preview more next year, because we got dominated 0-2 eliminated right away. DONT LAUGH. It's not funny. I also spent the night browsing the school with FFA members looking for the hidden FFA emblem. Needless to say, we failed.

Next stop: G-ma's!
Yeah, that's the best part about having a Grandma who lives in the area-> A place to sleep and good food. Never fails!

Good Morning: Southwest Star Concept FFA!
Another friend of mine and former Region VI teammate, Maddie informed me of the events in Heron Lake, Minnesota to end their FFA Week. They had baby animal day.I had my mind set on filling the minds of kindergartners about the wonders of sheep, but instead Loretta did the talking. Instead, I was just another kid asking questions about the ferret, chicks, ducks, goats, calf, horses, lambs, dog and guinea pig. I'm so glad I went because I got to see Mrs.Schoenfeld. Long story short, she is the bomb and was one of the driving forces that helped me get where I am today. She currently works with Jackson County 4-H, after previously teaching Agriculture are SSC and advising Region VI FFA. Oh, and Megan, if you read this, I didn't forget you, I hope you are feeling better. I also got the chance to meet some of the guys in Mr.Place's Livestock class:
Jon... is going to be a Golden Gopher next year!He is a big fan of NCIS, CSI and anything that has to do with mysteries. Next fall, he intends to study Psychology and Sociology in hopes to prevent future crimes.
After cleaning up the gym in Heron Lake, we hustled over to Okabena (the High School) for Ag Olympics where students were challenged with wheel-barrel racing, milk chugging, dressing as a farmer and making butter. Students were all successful in the tasks except for the butter part. Lucky for me, I just learned the proper technique of butter making from the one and only Tony Seykora. Of course, butter formed! I wish the best to my friends, Megan and Maddie who will represent their chapters as State Officer candidates this year! Also, that they (finally) will win the state Meats CDE... but you are going to have to get past Marshall first!

Final Stop: Marshall FFA!
I made my journey home, and in Marshall I had the chance to catch up with a growing leader in our chapter:
Eric... is currently serving as chapter treasurer. As a member of the Farm Business Management team that placed 3rd last year at State, I can't wait until they make Nationals this year. (Fingers crossed) Eric has high goals and aspirations in this organization. His passion and interest for agriculture and FFA would not even indicate that he grew up in town. This year he is running for Region VI office and would like to attend the Washington Leadership Conference.

With my experience in Job Interview, I helped new member Adri with her competition. She is applying for a position with photography with an agricultural company. I also got some much needed signatures for scholarships from my faithful advisers! But, the lambs back home were calling my name, so I took off shortly.
What a great week. At one point I thought, "...Wow, that was my last FFA Week.." WHAT?! How stupid of me. Just because you don't wear the blue jacket or it "shrunk", doesn't mean that you still cannot celebrate the FFA Week with your community. I encourage you, for next year to make yourself present at one of your home chapter or local chapter's events.
TOTAL Mileage for FFA Week 2010 = 1,238 miles!!!
Each gallon of gas was worth it.

My FFAvorite Week...

2010-02-27T19:02:00.000-08:00

To continue my adventures during National FFA Week, I set my alarm for an early drive down to one my favorite chapters: Owatonna FFA. Although I'm not sure how our relationship developed, I'm sure glad it did. In order to show their appreciation for their faculty, students and community, the Owatonna FFA members had an appreciation breakfast. Again I got to see my good friends, Kelsey, Matt, Travis and Steph. It was great to catch up with them and see them in action as leaders for their chapter.

But hey, I didn't come to sit around and chat- I came for work! So, I found my way back in the shop flipping pancakes with Brooke and Caleb. It was a lot of fun to just shoot the breeze with them while making breakfast. Once it was time to clean up, Steph, Kyle and I did some dishes and rocked out to some Queen, "Bohemian Rhapsody". (Or at least I did...) Again, I'm glad that I came to Owatonna because I got to meet another young leader in agriculture:

Kyle...grew up on a dairy farm and they milk about 140 cows, twice a day.In addition to his involvement with General Livestock judging, Kyle is active on the State bound Owatonna Wrestling team.Although he isn't quite sure where he wants to go or do, he knows that agriculture will be apart of his life. (I think the U of M is a good choice...)Yet again, I have met another outstanding role model for the younger guys in production agriculture.

Brooke...is staying quite busy with college classes right now as a PSEO student at Riverland. Once she graduates this spring she would like to finish up her generals at Riverland and hopefully find a college for Radiology.

Caleb...has a growing interest in the dairy industry even though he has grown up in town. He started working at a friend's dairy farm when he was younger, and since then he has been hooked. In fact, he is planning on going to SDSU next fall for Dairy Science.

... Mr.Spindler has some pictures from the event, but I'm just waiting on them! Here is part of the chapter at Teach AgDay!

P.S...Congrats to Kelsey as she was recently elected to serve as the Region VII FFA President. Also, to Matt for his decision to serve our country in the military. I CAN'T WAIT TO GO BACK!!! (can I come back???)
Mr.Spindler and Ms. Tinaglia- Thank you for being such great mentors and advisers to the members of this chapter!

On Thursday...over 200 blue jackets invaded Saint Paul at the State Capitol for National Teach Ag Day!It was great to not only share our experiences about Ag Ed with legislators at the capitol, but to hear their own blue jacket stories. Also, I chatted it up with some FFA members from West Central, Verndale, Foley, Perham and Randolf FFA.

This was my first time meeting these members/chapters and I'm glad that I took the time to stop and talk with them. After having some conversations with them, it was unanimous-they love being at the capitol, feeling apart of something bigger and they LOVE THEIR AG TEACHERS! Our team pictured with Rep. Mary Ellen Otremba and Commissioner Gene Hugoson.

Then, I quick ran back to campus for an Animal Science test. I hope I passed!

Instead of lumping everything together in this single post, I am going to make another post probably tomorrow or so about the final 3 visits in FFA Week! Thanks for tuning in.

Kicking off National FFA Week!

2010-02-23T20:11:00.000-08:00

As you may know it is National FFA WEEK!!!! To get things started Crystal and I made some trips around the state of Minnesota to hang out with some cool FFA members.

In Belle Plaine, we stopped in to stuff our faces with pancakes. Yes, the Belle Plaine FFA Chapter had an all you can eat pancake feed, a Euchre tournament and silent auction in honor of a past agricultural educator. Proceeds from the pancake breakfast went to Camp Courage. It was great to re-connect with Olivia, Sam, Erin, Cody, Darin and Krystal. After filling our bellies and placing our bets on some t-shirts, we continued further south to Mankato for Region VI Ski Day. As a region VI FFA member, I could not imagine missing an event that has always been so much fun. As my brother Jason would say, I caught some " sick powda' " on the slopes.

(He used to work a ski-lift in Idaho.)

In addition to visiting with Kirsten, Megan, Liz, Trey, Brandon and Evan-

Me, Kirsten,Brady and Tyler. I definitely was not looking...

I had an awesome time visiting with my friends from Marshall FFA including Tyler and Brady. I really enjoyed catching up with Tyler being we both graduated together, were on the same officer team and he is always a great listener.

Brady... is the Region VI FFA Star in Agriscience! If you need to know anything intellectual about math or science, talk to him. He is a hard working guy and I know that he will go far in life. For what? I don't know, that's up to him.

...Oh, and I got to chat it up with my ever faithful adviser, Mr.Lanoue.

Afterwards we ate at a really sketchy Dairy Queen... Yeah!

On Monday we got up early to make a road trip to Detroit Lakes FFA! Crystal and I were invited to share some insight and activities on FFA with a freshman class.

A POWER-Spongebob! You had to be there...

At lunch, Blake, Dylan and I put on our game faces to sell some root beer floats. Needless to say, our good looks and rapping abilities were helpful in the persuasion of some students.

Blake... I met him for the first time at camp this summer. And since then, I am glad that I took the time to talk to him at camp. He is an incredible leader for his chapter. I can see the strong desire in him to improve and set a positive example for his fellow chapter members. Someday, I can't wait to see when he runs for state office.

Nursery Landscape mock CDE competition!

I can't wait to go back and visit in March to see the officer team!!!!

...and the Chinchilla.

Finally, whilst driving back to Saint Paul, we had an excellent idea in calling our good friend Dustin from the Staples-Motley FFA Chapter. He told us to come and crash the ag. room- so we did! The Plant Science class was learning about fruit in class so they made a delicious fruit pizza. Got to see another awesome FFA member from Staples-Motley, the one and only Ryan Bart! You may know him as the amazing fiddle/mandolin/guitar player from State Convention. Also, I met the adviser Mr.Lindgren and his daughter Megan.

Megan... is currently a freshman in high school. She shared with me her love of singing, dance lessons and participating in Special Olympics. She is quite the exciting individual.

Dustin... finishing up his term as the Region II President. Getting to know him this past year has been a pleasure and I truly appreciate his dedication and loyalty to his chapter and the members of Region II.

Dustin and Crystal got into a fight...

My orthodontist told me I may need my jaw broken, so I'm working on finding a replacement.

Tomorrow will be another great day. HAVE A WONDERFUL FFA WEEK.

Breakin' it down, to Build others up!

2010-02-21T18:12:00.000-08:00

The same day after my time in Mankato for SOPD, I called my good friends from Sleepy Eye FFA up. They informed me that they were having an FFA sponsored dance that night, so I was in! Most dances that I have been to are for the organizations needs, or to raise funds for a trip somewhere. However, this was a unique event. In light of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck the island of Haiti and killed over 150,000 people on January 12, 2010, Sleepy Eye FFA stepped up to the plate. Instead of collecting the funds of the dance for their chapter needs, they were humble enough to collect them for the needs of the American Red Cross in their pursuit to help the citizens of Haiti. I'm not sure how much money was collected, but based on the number of students there, it was a good turn out. You know what? It shouldn't matter how much was made. What matters, to me, is the thought and intent of helping others. Sounds cliche, but I have no other way to say it. It was a good time to catch up with my friends from Sleepy Eye including: Nate, Kristina, Genesis, Valeria, Tony, Brandon, Ben, Chris,Laura, Aileen, Cynthia and Ms.Hoffman! Thank you for your dedication to service. Oh, I also got to see my Grandma because she lives in Sleepy Eye. She rocks because sometimes a college kid (me) needs a place to crash and home cooked food.

Trust me, I made it... but the next time was a little embarrassing.

State Officer Professional Development- Pioneer,MN Soybean, MN Pork, AgStar

2010-02-15T08:08:00.000-08:00

#1 FFA members, you may say "wow this is a lot" but, truly I believe that this information from the State Officer Professional Development days is beneficial, and worthwhile. Bear with me! =)

I will admit it. I HATE MATH. I'm terrible at it. However, the following equation is one that I CAN do...

Solve: 8 FFA members + Highway 169 S + 4 agricultural companies + 2 soybean cookies + 1 meat thermometer at 160 degrees + 1 Pioneer T-shirt + 55,227 farm visits=

A. 7
B. 3 sheep

C. π

D. 1 amazing day in Mankato, Minnesota for State Officer Professional Development

If you guessed D YOU ARE CORRECT!

...if you guessed B, you are totally wrong and possibly worse at math than me.
Nonetheless, the 12th of February was a exciting and busy day to meet more people behind the partnership with Minnesota FFA.

Our first stop was with...

Minnesota Soybean Growers Association

We met with Mr.Jim Palmer, Executive Director of the Association. He treated us to some non-traditional chocolate cookies that have soybeans in them! Here are my 2 take away messages:

Minnesota is the forefront leader in soybean. Yes, I knew this, but I didn't realize the extent. North America's largest soybean processor is in our very own Mankato,MN. Also, soybeans are the number one protein in the worldwide diet! You can trust that the future of soybean production will prosper here in Minnesota not only because of the importance this little legume provides for animal feed, human consumption and energy- but because of the people who dedicate their lives to growing this exceptional crop.
We had a challenging conversation with Mr.Palmer about the negative images that are portrayed of agriculture today. More and more, our industry is attacked. What are we going to do about it? We as FFA members need to continue, if not, start being advocates in our community about agriculture. The passion we have should not be limited to the day we wear our FFA jacket, it should be a part of our everyday lives! Thank you Mr.Palmer and everyone at MN Soybean for your continuous support and advocacy of agriculture.
*MN Soybean is a 4 STAR partner of MN FFA!!!! THANK YOU!

Our next stop was actually, more like our next step because it was right next to MN Soybean...

Minnesota Pork Producers

We were joined by former FFA members, and leaders for MN Pork: Trudy Wasweet and Jill Resler. I learned so much about the current status of the pork industry, the future and ways that I can help our pork producers out. So here is how you can help:

EAT PORK! Not only is it delicious with some BBQ sauce, but it is even just as healthy as eating a portion of skinless chicken breast. Minnesota is ranked second in the nation for hog production, just behind Iowa.In 2008, Minnesota pork generated $7.6 billion dollars! Today, our pork producers aren't doing the best because of the economy, mis-information about the H1N1 virus and even antibiotic scares. However, we must know that you cannot get the H1N1 virus from pork! Also, antibiotics are strategically used in the swine industry, and not an everyday use. They are used to promote the health of the pig in producing quality, wholesome pork!Finally, next time you are in the store buy some pork, and make sure to cook it to a safe temperature of 160 degrees.
"Piggybacking" on the previous comment, let's advocate! For 20 years, the Pork Ambassadors have made their presence known throughout our state. To be an ambassador, you do not even need to have come from a swine background. What matters is your passion for the industry! You might just get your head carved out of SPAM.Stop in at the Oink Booth at the state fair to learn more about the swine industry, or pick up some chocolate covered bacon!
Minnesota Pork Producers are proud to share this message, "Our family is proud to feed yours."... love it. They sponsor the Swine Proficiency Award. Thank you Trudy and Jill!

Next stop:

Beth Lauwagie, past MN FFA Officer, welcomed us to Pioneer for some lunch, and her expertise with internships. For those of you who are looking to work in the future, mind you not just in the agricultural industry, but work- PIONEER offers some great internships to give you the edge and experience for the job you want. Not many companies offer a Sales Internship, but Pioneer does! Not only would you get experience working with sales, but you would get the advantage of working with a company that has a legacy of leadership in the world of business and agriculture.

Pioneer sponsors the Forage Production and Grain Production Proficiency Awards. Thank you!

Our final visit was with:
AgStar is a branch off Farm Credit Services. They focus on financial services such as loans and lending to agriculturalist across the state of Minnesota and Wisconsin in 69 counties. AgStar enhances the life in agriculture and rural America. AgStar makes sure they know the people they serve because last year they made over 55,000 farm visits. ONE YEAR. Jeanne and Jody both speak highly of their work, not only with financial assistance, but assistance with agriculturalists. They gave us some awesome gift bags! Thanks. AgStar is a 1 Star partner as well as the sponsor of the Stars over Minnesota (Star Farmer, Agribusiness, Placement, Agriscience)

A new beginning...

2010-02-10T07:52:00.000-08:00

It's not to say that my life is restarting, but let's say a new chapter is being added. Today, I was initiated into the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity: Lambda Chapter here at the University of Minnesota. ΑΓΡ is a professional fraternity centered around building better men in the agricultural industry. I am happy to finally be a member of a fraternity that: is so active on the Saint Paul campus with the variety of agricultural student organizations, contributes to the well being of the campus community through philanthropy and has a rich history in agricultural leadership. In fact, the late Dr.Norman Borlaug is an alumnus of the Lambda chapter here at the University of Minnesota. Thank you to my new brothers, especially my big brother Matt Pearson, at ΑΓΡ for welcoming me to the brotherhood, I look forward to the next 4 years in the house!

I move...

2010-02-09T08:21:00.000-08:00

...that a congratulations go out to the Marshall FFA Chapter for their success of advancing to the State competition in Parliamentary Procedure!
Am I a little biased on writing about the chapter I call home? Yes, but they deserve just as much recognition because they are awesome too.
I remember last winter at the U of M Invite, the same Parliamentary Procedure team of Sam, Meghan, Brad, Spencer, Kayla and Emma competed. The results weren't the most favorable for them, but it was a learning experience. When it came to the Region VI Novice Parli Pro contest they got 2nd! But, they needed to place 1st in order to advance to state. So, a year of practice goes by and we are at the present day. This team, composed entirely of sophomores, was sure that they could win the Novice Parli Pro competition, however they were informed that they were no longer 'Novice', and they would be competed in regular Parli Pro. Despite the odds against this young team, they prevailed last week at the Region VI Parli Pro contest, and are now going to state!!! It has been a very long time since Marshall has had a Parliamentary Procedure team, so it is great to have the "MARSHALL" jacket in the state contest this year. Congrats! I am super proud! So, again... CONGRATS TO:

Sam, Spencer, Meghan, Kayla, Emma and Brad!

REGION RUSH!

2010-02-04T07:41:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year- Proficiency applicants revising their records, State degree candidates fine tuning their resume,Future region officers preparing for interviews,Advisers are going crazy with all of the work, CDE teams are practicing,eating,practicing,sleeping,practicing,practicing AND ON TOP OF IT ALL- FFA Week is just in a couple weeks!

I congratulate all Minnesota FFA members who have been:

-Investing the time into to take their SAE to the proficiency interviews. Yes, the application looks pretty intimidating when it is empty with no numbers. Trust me, once you get through one year of records, the next seems easier followed by the next. My first year took about 2-3 hours to fill out. This year, just about 30 minutes. Good luck at your interviews!

- Practicing for CDE competitions. I wish you all the best as you compete against the best in your regions for the opportunity to represent your chapter at the state level. If you are not sure if you are practicing enough, evaluate what you do in a typical day. Is time spent on Facebook more valuable than your CDE? You decide.
-Gathering the successes of the past 3-4 years you have had at the local an state level while filling out your State Degree. This is quite an honor, and it is the highest level of membership you can receive in Minnesota. Not only will this help you in a possible pursuit of running for a State Office, but also provide a stepping stone to the most honorable award in our organization the American Degree. Only 1/2 of 1% of all FFA members receive this award. You can be that.
-Not getting enough sleep because you are so nervous about region office interviews! So far, out the of the 8 regions in our state, Region VIII and Region VII have slated the 2010-2011 officer team. I know that later today, Region I will be having interviews, followed by Region V this weekend. To all candidates- I wish you all the best.I believe that being elected as a region officer is exciting, but never forget what it was that lead you to this position, and why you were drawn to it.Thank people that helped you.
If you are not elected, again- never forget what got you to interview. Think about what you have accomplished over the past 2-4 years, you still have many more to make a difference in this organization. AN OFFICE SHOULD NEVER DEFINE YOUR SERVICE TO FFA.

Alright, enough of my rant- good luck to you all at your regional events!

I'm off to my animal science lab, we are evaluating carcasses... FUN!

-OH! One more thing-

If your advisers has been running around like a chicken with its head cut off, stop and take sometime to thank them for everything they do for Agricultural Education. It's alot.

Nourishing People- State Officer Professional Development

2010-02-02T10:48:00.000-08:00

A packet of Cherry Kool-Aid. A 'heart healthy' box of Cheerios. A steaming hot bowl of Kraft Easy Mac. A refreshing 12.oz can of Sprite. A 1lb bag of Robin Hood flour. A McDonald's Egg McMuffin. One pan of warm Betty Crocker Brownies. 3ft of delicious Strawberry Fruit-by-the Foot.

Any idea as to what these all have in common?

Yes, they are all edible food. And, yes reading all of those just made my stomach grumble, but more than that, they are all products that contain ingredients developed by the same company. This company, being one of the largest private, family owned agricultural companies in the world. Founded in 1865, and currently employing 159,000 in over 68 countries worldwide in effort to create better food, this company most certainly defines it's mission in "Nourishing People."

Any guess what company this is?

With the organization of Mr. Paul Hanson, former Iowa State Officer, our state officer team had a nice day to experience the leadership behind Cargill. Additionally, we got to discover more about the history of this family owned company, including a tour of the lake-side mansion! PS they have a 1 acre pool. YES 1 ACRE. Thank you to Joyce, she gave us a nice and informative tour.

My highlight from the day was the AMAZING pasta bar they had for lunch.

(Seriously, you could pick out the pasta, sauce, vegetables and bread and they would cook it right in front of you. CUSTOM order!)

Just kidding. The pasta was good, but not as good as the leadership and strenghts development training we had with Paul. He really knows his stuff. I know my strenghts:

Individualization
Learner
Strategic
Ideation
Achiever

...but I had never thought of them in the way Paul was able to identify. It was something you had to be there for, but since the 6 of us were the only ones to go, here are the 3 things I am taking away for each of you to know.

This past semester, I had all A's EXCEPT for a C in College Algebra. According to statistics from a Gallup poll, people believe that I should spend more time focusing on making the C an A. Which relates to common myth: "You will grow the most in your areas of greatest weakness." However, Paul helped us understand that instead, we will grow most in our areas of greatest strength. FOCUS on your strenghts, and use them. We each have our own individuals strenghts and weaknesses, USE YOUR STRENGTHS to help others.
A strength is something that leaves you feeling strong. I'm not saying drinking Whey protein and hitting the gym, type of strength. I mean an activity that you can perform or do near perfection every time. For example, if you can sit down and sight read sheet music consistently, that is a strength. If you enjoy learning about science, people and love to ask questions, that is a strength. Most of all, after reading music, or learning about a subject or solving a group problem- if you get a rush, and almost feel like you could do it again- it isn't just a niche, its a strength of yours. USE IT for the better of yourself and others.
Paul gave each of us a challenge at the end of the day. My challenge was to "UNLOCK OTHERS POTENTIAL." How do I know this is right for me? Well, I feel strong when I can sit down with a group of people, and learn something about someone else. I get a rush when I can get someone to share a piece of their mind, get them to volunteer or step out of their comfort zone. I feel strong when I see that someone has realized their potential. What is it what makes you feel strong, and how will you challenge yourself to use it each day?

It was truly an awesome day. Thank you Paul and Joyce.

The people at Cargill believe, "We help customers succeed through collaboration and innovation, and are committed to sharing our global knowledge and experience to help meet economic, environmental and social challenges."

Don't Stop Believing!

2010-01-26T13:07:00.000-08:00

Are you a fan of Journey? How about the Beatles? Do you find yourself in class, tapping or beating the top of your desk to a rhythm? Do you play a musical instrument? OR do you prefer to just belt out to the radio in the car? Have you blinked within the last 30 seconds? Do you think that these lambs are awesome?

Photo courtesy of Scott Schmidt

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then maybe you should consider applying for the 2010 Minnesota FFA State Chorus or Band.

Having participated in the 2007 State Band, (I am a drummer), it was a lot of fun getting to meet others from across the state and performing what I LOVE for over 3,000 fellow FFA members. From alto saxophones to xylophones, the State Band has a place for you!

I have always been a big fan of Journey's song, "Don't Stop Believing." If you have never heard the song before, this year's State Chorus will be performing this very song, except with a twist from the TV show series, "Glee." In addition some other songs from the Beatles, John Lennon and Sister Act will be performed! If just the thought of these songs has got you humming or singing, give the 2010 State Chorus a shot.

You may even be featured as a soloist!

Follow the link and apply now, and help celebrate the success of Minnesota FFA by sharing your talents.

http://www.mnffa.org/Conventions/MinnesotaFFAConvention/tabid/5021/Default.aspx

ALSO... Here is one of the greatest songs by Journey...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDY2I5pni90

See ya,

Idiots guide to surviving finals...

2010-01-12T07:39:00.000-08:00

FIRST- I have been slacking on my blogging, so I am sorry!

SECOND- There is soo much snow outside and it is freezing.

THIRD- Yet, I still feel inclined to wear shorts...

Ok now...

Finals week is probably the most stressful-fun-crazy-terrible-tiring week I have had in my college life. (Yes I know, I am a complete noob to college) But nonetheless, every college student in finals week needs some way to "SURVIVE"
Some students visit home for a day. Some have their parents send them a "Survival" pack, filled with hot cocoa, candy, granola bars and more candy. Some students stay up for 24+ hours, studying and cramming in as much information. Some students drink ALOT of red bull. And some students just relax and watch some movies, hang out with friends to take off the stress.
How did I survive?

I visited FFA Chapters!

During my busy week, I decided to make it even busier by adding to my "To Do" list:

Buffalo Lake-Hector FFA Holiday Party

Hutchinson FFA Holiday Party

Some friends from camp, Aryel and Ryan invited me to their home chapter, Buffalo Lake-Hector for a Holiday Party and some extreme dodge ball. It was a lot of fun to see their chapter, participate in the meeting,see some other friends from camp, watch the Parli Pro team in action and PLAY DODGEBALL!

Nikki... shared with me that she hopes to be a Region V officer next year! In addition to her regional goal, she would also like to serve others as a nurse in the future.

Nathan... was in the shop finishing up an electrical project that I would probably kill myself trying to do. (Seriously, I have no welding or electrical skills) He is deeply interested in Agricultural Mechanics, and next year he hopes to either go to school to study to be an electrician or work around on his neighbors farm, wherever help is needed. Right away in the dodge ball game I got him out (in the head to be precise), but my victory was short lived as in next game I got tripped up and he got me out as well.

... Just as the week was wrapping up, Emily and I took off on a Friday night to the Hutchinson FFA Holiday Party. HOWEVER, since I was in the vehicle, it was more than likely that we would get lost! Driving through Hutchinson we got lost, trying to find the roads and we weren't sure where we were going until RED-BLUE-WHITEREDBLUEBLUERED1?!!? lights started flashing behind us. (by the way, the previous was my interpretation of the lights) Yes, as you may know it, we got pulled over: FOR DRIVING TOO SLOW! He asked, " Are you lost?", and I was happy to say, YES WE ARE. He showed us how to get to the school and then we were fine!

In the Ag room, we were greeted by more of our friends from camp and other events including: Kelsey, Katie, Chelsea, Paige, Miranda and Breanna. Before going to the bowling alley, I was hoarded with lots of food. Even though I was totally full, after eating lots of puppy chow, cake, ice cream and candy...I knew that I would need the reserves for a day at college when I got hungry. Kelsey lead the chapter in the monthly meeting. At the meeting I met with a committee, with Miranda and Matt, to discuss and plan some events for FFA Week in February. I wont reveal what is planned, but it should be a good time for the whole school!

Then, we made our way over to the bowling alley.

It was the perfect place for me to humiliate myself because there was black lights, loud music and the game that I am the worst at, BOWLING. However, I did have one victory on the night. I bowled a record high, 101. Yeah, told you I'm terrible, but I tell you who isn't terrible:

Tyler... bowled a TURKEY, meaning 3 strikes in a row!

Matt... works on a dairy farm and loves working with dairy cattle. Once I discovered this I introduced him to my friend Emily because, if you don't know yet, she is kind of crazy about her Brown Swiss. After having some conversation with Matt, I thought he would be the perfect candidate for an awesome FFA experience at the State Fair, CHS Miracle of Birth Center. So fair goers, watch out for Matt next year, he is the cool kid with the dairy cows.

Chelsea... is better than me bowling backwards, than I am with my right arm.

A Lemke sandwich. (Miranda, Me, Paige)

EVERYONE FROM HUTCHINSON FFA!

Thank you to the Buffalo Lake-Hector and Hutchinson FFA chapters for having me!

Moral of the story: I passed all of my finals!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T12:52:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Canvas: Gingerbread

Medium: Frosting

Photographer: Bobbi Schmidt

Warm wishes to all of you on this Christmas day! Enjoy the games, fun, food, family and true meaning of this day.

My family is currently snowed in... Yeah, even though I spent time outside in the Bobcat scooping snow, I don't know if it is going to help because the snow won't stop.

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

( I probably won't be able to blog then because I will be in Rome, Italy with my church youth group )

Book tested, Blake approved... Region I Fun Day!

2009-12-16T08:52:00.000-08:00

Newspaper bridges...

Book Tested - Blake Approved.

FIRST, I just want to thank Whitney for supplying me with the following pictures!
This past weekend in New York Mills, MN about 50 Region I FFA members got together for Region I Fun Day! Luckily for Labecca, Emily and I , we were available Saturday to make the long drive up and over to Region I. The region I officer team spent a good amount of time preparing sessions,activities and learning opportunities for those new to FFA and for those more experienced with FFA. Whether it was making newspaper bridges, playing Taboo, or just talking about chapter opportunities, the day was worthwhile in developing premier leadership within each member. I know its not in the mission statement, but they should have put a line about "awesome fun", because there was a lot of that too!

After the morning sessions and Subway, we went over to the water park at Thumper Pond in Ottertail, MN. I have never been to a water park before, so I felt like I was 5 and I probably acted like it to pushing little kids out of the way so I could go down the shark slide TOO...
just kidding. But, I went down the shark slide a million times. There was a big slide for inner tubes, and a tiny little pipe slide that would be perfect if you were claustrophobic!

Introducing the Region I FFA Officer Team (minus Blake):

Whitney, Hoang, Greg, Krista, Steph & Luke, chilling at the waterpark .

For this blogs member highlight, highlighting the officer team!

Whitney from Thief River Falls ... is an eXtreme horse back rider, meaning, she races horses for endurance!

Greg from Detroit Lakes... is simply stated a true baller. I can't think of a time when we were playing basketball in the pool when he didn't miss.

Steph from New York Mills... has sheep. Need I say more ??

Luke from Lake Park-Audubon... is currently studying Agronomy at the University of Minnesota , Crookston. His advisor grew up just a few miles from my house!

Krista from Ada-Borup... is interested in a career with marketing and communications. She is famous for her birth-certificate reading... "en route", meaning she was born on the way to the hospital.

Blake from Detroit Lakes... was TOO busy to be at the waterpark! He is quite active on the high school hockey team, so he was at practice. But, I can forgive him.

Hoang from the Ada-Borup FFA Chapter... has the goal in life to work for the Peace Corps. Upon high school graduation, he would like to study environmental policy, from the agriculturalists perspective. Then, hopefully work in another country in aiding others with keeping their agriculture productive, while still being mindful of the environment it impacts. Hoang is currently serving as the Region I Treasurer! And, according to the facts poster, he is the region grammar policeman. Sew, maybee he can halp mi , cuz i'm knot taht gud with grammer!

As we made our parting ways, Emily came up with a fantastic idea to go and visit her dairy farm! SO WE DID! I met her other 9 other siblings as they were doing nightly chores. But more importantly , I met the love of my life. You got it, a little Brown Swiss calf. I will probably buy it and give her an awesome name.

See ya!

Thank you Region I for having us for your awesome day!

Where does our time, work and money go ?

2009-12-09T08:55:00.000-08:00

Every year, since 1954, Minnesota FFA members have taken a day out of school to go out and ask local farmers for donations of corn. In my own experience of the Corn Drive, I never knew where the money went, who got it, and what it was for. Don't get me wrong, I knew it was called "Corn Drive for Camp Courage", but that meant very little to me, until yesterday when the state officer team visited...

Since 1928, Courage Center has thrived on this mission...

In my high school, being around students with special needs and education was an everyday thing because my student council advisor worked with those students. Yeah, I saw them in school, but it wasn't until visiting Courage Center that I got to see the other side. The daily routine of therapy, examination and waiting parents. Seeing the multitude of people, just like you and me, with different abilities than mine, was a wake up call.

The people who work for Courage Center are incredible individuals, dedicating a large portion of their life to ensuring every single person at Courage Center can reach their full life potential.

In the picture below, we visited the woods and metals shop where many adaptive instruments are made. Things as simple as typing a message on the computer are not so easy for someone regaining fine-motor skills. So, the piece that was created, shown below, goes over a keyboard so instead of hitting more than one key, the person can punch their fingers to pick the one and only key they want.

Think...
What if you had some form of disability ? What impact would it have on your daily life, education, family and personal life ?

If you didn't know, the over $100,000 annually raised by Minnesota FFA chapter Corn Drives goes to support people, young and old, to go to camps where,

"They can feel normal for ONE day."

- as staff member shared.

When I think about my own life, I have been gifted with many abilities and talents. So often, I take them for granted, or I don't even share them others. After visiting Courage Center, I have a strong desire to be more assertive of sharing my abilities with others. So, when the next summer rolls around, I plan to volunteer at Courage Center North, where the camp focuses on individuals with speech, communication and hearing disabilities.

Yeah! It's a party in Region VIII !

2009-12-06T20:40:00.000-08:00

Earlier this summer I was fortunate enough to be asked to serve as a Region VIII Greenhand Camp Rec. Director! From December 4-6, 2009 over 50 greenhands from the chapters in Region VIII MN FFA, assembled at Ironwood Springs Christian Ranch in Stewartville,MN for 3 days of fun, friends, and FFA.
Kirsten , a fellow Region VI-er, joined me as the Rec Director team! I had a complete blast interacting with FFA members, watching the Region officers in action and helping with all of the behind the scenes work with Kirsten at camp.

The Region VIII Officer Team ... The banquet committee (future region officers ???)

My 3 highlights from Camp are:

- Camp service projects

- Ag Olympics

- Getting to know Region VIII FFA members

As a part of showing our gratitude to the men and women at Ironwood Springs Christian Ranch, we all took part in a variety of service oriented projects such as splitting wood, cleaning the lodge, removing buck thorn and cleaning out horse stalls. I found it especially humbling to have given service to people who have served, and will continue to serve, people of all abilities for many years. It also brought life to the meaning of "Living to Serve." Too often we think of the 3 other parts of the motto, "Learning to Do, Doing to Learn & Earning to Live." Service is integral to our organization and to our own personal growth! Make sure to report your hours to the LAND OF SERVICE , mnffaservicehours@hotmail.com

(LEFT) Mike of P-E-M FFA with members: Dylan, Luke and Justin of Winona FFA

(RIGHT) Kyle of the Lanesboro FFA helps with the removal of invasion Buck thorn during a service project

Late on Saturday night, after much preparation, Kirsten and I let the region officers relax from their busy sessions, and entertain the Greenhands with the 2nd Annual Ag Olympics! 10 teams competed in the: Ironwood derby horse race, butter carving, animal idol, cow-pie-eating, nail driving, nose-egg race, sunflower spittoon and a little surprise for the region officers. Blake was victorious in animal idol (animal calling contest) with his impersonation of an ostrich. Even though his egg broke half way through, Taylor finished the egg-rolling race with his nose. Except, he only finished with the hard boiled yolk, the rest was destroyed on the race course.

Little did the region officers know, we left some surprises in their ice-cream...

(Cayenne pepper, Chili powder and Curry powder)

Finally, one of the most rewarding things about going to camps and conferences like this, is meeting members...
Cabby, Southland FFA... made my day just as I was playing shuffle-board with her and completely missed the board, she said, "FAIL... Epic FAIL." It was a pretty funny moment.

Taylor, St. Charles FFA... is one of the most athletic people I have met. Just as a freshman, he started every single football game in just about any position you could think of including, TE, WR and RB. On top of his skills on the grid-iron, Taylor can do 3 back flips consecutively... Talk about talent.

Faith, Leroy-Ostrander FFA... is still looking to find the CDE just for her. She is really interested in Horses, so she hopes to make it to State Convention in Horse Evaluation! Faith also received the award for most Personal Growth. Well deserved.

Nick, Mabel-Canton FFA... loves to judge livestock. He has a diverse knowledge of the terminology and features of most species. He raises Jersey dairy cattle, and loves to judge them.

Kamyn, Pine Island FFA... is a ninja-cow pie eating master! How do I know? Well, when it comes to playing ninja, she always seems to just disappear and then-BAM!- you are out. Also, she was one of the top 'de-wormers' in the cow pie eating contest.

Blake, Plainview-Elgin-Millville FFA... was cabin-mates with me, again! The first time being FILL conference, and second RGC. However, I learned this time that Blake has quite the interesting story involving a hot pink helmet, and a deer antler glued to the top. Quite simply, within 5 weeks, he had 5 different injuries to his head, so his chapter gave him the helmet to keep him safe!

Yeah Region VIII ! It finally snowed = SNOW ANGELS! Calli and I, and the Paul jumped in!

Go Steve Go! Becky, giving the thumbs up to my numerous pictures! Just before everyone left.

I took over 700!!!!

Thank you Ironwood Springs Christian Ranch for your continuous support of MN FFA members, and thank you Chelsea, Jason, Calli, Steve, Katie, Jenny, Mike, Jared, Lauren, Kevin, Mr. Lubahn and Mr. Brown for giving me the opportunity to serve MN FFA members in a new way! Your team did an excellent job interacting and inspiring the future of our organization...

Having a Owa-TON-na of fun!

2009-12-02T21:06:00.000-08:00

Facebook is truly a great tool! Just the other week I was chatting with my friend Travis from Owatonna and he invited me to their chapter meeting, last night. After some traffic, getting lost, taking the wrong exit, asking random people at a Holiday gas station for directions and walking through a large school with 3rd graders being herded like cattle down the hallway- I finally made it!
I had a great time sharing my own experiences, as well as learning more about the Owatonna FFA Chapter.Unfortunately, the current membership numbers within the FFA program are lower than past years. We discussed some ways that we could recruit more students to consider joining FFA, including having some Ag-Olympics, lunch games and activities at chapter meetings. Anyone up for some 4-square ?

After some good time getting to learn more about the chapter, we all headed over to Godfather's Pizza! Steph let me follow her because I'm terrible at directions. I was definitely not hungry, but when Godfather's dessert pizza is on the menu, I've got room. As I was making the late trip back to St.Paul, of course I got my directions messed up, and instead of traveling NORTH on 35 W, I went SOUTH... But I caught myself. I think I need to resort to bread crumbs...

Joe ... has just began his journey within FFA this year. He is hoping to be involved with either Horse Evaluation or Fish and Wildlife.

Kelsey... helped me celebrate, NATIONAL CREEPER DAY! It was good to see her again, because her humor is incredibly contagious. Kelsey shared with me her passion to want to be an ag teacher.

D.J. ...is currently serving as the Owatonna FFA chapter president. Ontop of his leadership accomplishment on the chapter level, he has also set an example for Minnesota FFA members as he was a contributing member of the 2008 , 4th place National Farm Business Management team!

Steph ...is my new found compass. She loves her Jersey dairy cattle, serving as a Region VII officer as has aspirations to serve the membership of Minnesota FFA on new levels. Keep it up!

Matt... is Matt. He is quite the thinker/planner/conceptualizer when it comes to chapter events and activities. After high school, Matt would like to serve our country in the United States Army.

- Thank you Ms. Tinaglia and Mr. Spindler for sharing with your students the value of agricultural education!

I hope this won't be my only post about this chapter because I want to visit again.

Just stopping in...

2009-11-24T09:14:00.000-08:00

I had a busy past weekend.
Labecca, Katie and I first went to the Minnesota Farm Bureau Annual awards banquet! The table I ate supper with consisted of:

MN Department of Agriculture, Commissioner- Gene Hugoson

USDA Rural Development, Director- Colleen Landkamer

Minnesota Farm Bureau, President- Mr & Mrs. Kevin Paap

The pork loin meal was delicious! It was great to see all of the individual and county achievements of Minnesota Farm Bureau throughout this past year. Katie's dad even received the President's award for Washington County!! After the awards banquet, a live auction was held and Labecca, Esther, Katie and I got to help out.You could say we were the "Vanna White"s of the night. Farm Bureau members and supporters raised their big cards, nodded their head, and gave the thumbs up for: hand-made quilts,basket combos, wine,wagons for kids, resort packages,framed paintings, Christmas gear,wooden chests, baskets of apples and of course, a John Deere, Case and Oliver tractor. The basket of Honeycrisp apples I "modeled" sold for over $180! It was quite the night, and I thank the Minnesota Farm Bureau for the invitation.

The next day we had our Winter State Board of Directors Meeting. To say the least, it was a meeting. BUT we are beginning to plan State Convention- get excited!

Finally, Saturday night and Sunday morning, Mike and I went out to Camp Friendship near Annandale, MN for the FILL Conference. (Fun, Inspirational Learning and Leadership). We didn't have to present or speak about anything. We just got to hang out with the members! It was a blast starting new conversations with the members I haven't met, and continuing the conversations with members I have met throughout the years. Whether it was Apples to Apples, the Ninja Game (FINALLY PEOPLE KNOW WHAT IT IS!), Lightning, 500 Football or watching my advisor, Mr.Sawatzke try to dance- we all had a good time. My favorite would either be attempting to get a basketball into the hoop by shooting backwards off a wall with Ryan and Brett OR, having late night conversations with the men of "KINGFISHER" ... Greg, Brett, Blake, Tyler, Zach, "Twinkie" and Mr. Aarsvold. Thank you to Mrs. Rhoda and Mr. Aarsvold for sharing valuable information and activities about "7 Habits for Highly Effective Teens" with the FFA members! From what I have heard, talking with them, it was great and even better than last year!

Thank you Mag for your picture from FILL!

What do you want to do when you grow up?

2009-11-18T21:46:00.000-08:00

Several times in my life, I have pondered this question. Frankly, I am still not sure! However, for some members of the Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted FFA Chapter and High School, they have an idea where they want to get started.

On Tuesday, Doreen invited Crystal and I to the annual Career Fair at HLWW hosted by the FFA chapter. There were people representing post-secondary education, veterinary medicine, animal health, crop and plant sciences as well as mechanical and technical skills. Here, students from HLWW High School got a chance to visit with these leaders to answer their questions about careers, education and possible job opportunities within their business.

This was our "booth"

After spending some time answering the questions that others had for me about FFA, here is what I learned about where other FFA members would like to go after high school...

Austin is interested in Fisheries and Wildlife, and would like to pursue a degree at the University of Minnesota ! Eventually, he wants to work with wildlife management, possibly with tagging and tracking animals.

Mag is not entirely sure what she would like to do... Just kidding! As a sophomore, she already knows that she would like to go to school at the University of Michigan for Child Psychology.

Austin would like to work with crop production and agronomy in the future. He hopes to receive a degree at the University of Minnesota in Applied Plant Sciences.

Sabrina loves FFA, agriculture and education. So, she would like to pursue a degree and receive her teaching license at the University of Wisconsin in River Falls for Agricultural Education!

Will has developed a love and passion for hard work in the dairy industry. He would like to study Animal Science at the University of Minnesota and eventually be either a large animal veterinarian or dairy nutritionist.

Doreen would love to be a golden gopher as well! She has shared with me her interest in working with students and inspiring them through Agricultural Education.

As things were beginning to wrap up, and I was about to leave I had the chance to talk to one more student:
Brandon just transferred to Howard Lake this past year. Being a new student, in a new school and new people, we talked about how it can be tough, especially in high school. I shared some of my own experiences, and realized that when I think about my high school experience, it wasn't my favorite. When looking for places to fit in, I found (for me) that FFA was one of the best decisions I made in high school because of the people I have met, the way my life has shifted positively and because of the clarity I have within my own life about leadership, purpose and passion. Brandon wasn't too sure about joining FFA so I answered his questions about how it can help him out in the future. He would like to either be a diesel mechanic or work in the dairy industry. Little did Brandon realize the opportunities for him just with in ONE part of FFA, the CDEs : Ag Mechanics and Dairy Cattle Evaluation. He wasn't too sure about where to go to school so I directed him to the friends I met earlier representing Ridgewater College in Willmar- Dave and Zach.

Ok so I wasn't quite leaving because I am terrible at goodbyes. I wanted to leave at 10:45, and ended up actually leaving at 11:10 !

But, as I was ACTUALLY leaving Brandon caught up with me and said,

"Hey thanks! I know what I want to do now. I want to go to the U of M for Dairy Science. Oh, and one more thing... I'm signing up to be an FFA member tomorrow."

Here is my question:

Do you have an idea as to what you would like to do in the future?

I think that getting a degree or certificate or diploma ect. is important, and will help you get a job.

But ...

I think that your passion, drive and desire to serve will get you further than any signature on a piece of paper, calculated number for GPA or plaque on the wall.

Meeting the people behind the partnership...

2009-11-16T20:49:00.000-08:00

On one of the Fridays of each month in the year, the state officer team drops our books, fills up our tanks and road trips down, up and wherever we need to be for a day of Professional Development. During these days, we get to meet the people behind the partnership of Minneosta FFA-> our sponsors and partners!

In October, we had quite the schedule, driving down to New Ulm and Sleepy Eye, Minnesota to meet with the leaders of Christensen Farms, Gislason & Hunter and Associated Milk Producers Inc. (AMPI)

During the morning with,

Christensen Farms

we learned even more about the humble beginnings of this company and its people. CF began in 1974 with just 2 bred gilts, through an FFA SAE project and has expanded to a collection of farms that produce enough pork to feed over 12 million people each year! Based on the number of sows they have, farrowing (giving birth to piglets) 29 piglets each year, they produce over 3.5 million pigs each year! WOW!

One thing that stuck out in my head about CF was their message about producing pork that is:

" Safe, Quality and Consistent "

I love that.
Thank you to Rod, Val, Cheryl, Misty, George (past MN State Officer!), Adam and Bob for taking valuable time out their day to be with us, share the message of Christensen Farms as well as their own personal stories. Also, thank you for the delicious rolls.

I was too scared to eat one...

After a drive to New Ulm from Sleepy Eye, we stopped at a restaurant for an authentic German meal sponsored by another outstanding group,

Gislason & Hunter

Mike Dove, (a past State Officer!) works with G&H and has been the strong connection between MN FFA and his law firm. Yes, even though you may think ...

"Hmmm, a law firm? What would they want to do with FFA? They are NOT agriculture."

- a valid question. The relationship between G&H and FFA is a true demonstration of the passion that people have for FFA, even if they may not work directly with production ag or agribusiness. Joining us for dinner was the NEW ULM FFA CHAPTER OFFICERS! I was so excited to see them again, because I met most of them at State Convention or at summer camp. Thank you to Mr. Dove for his continuous support of the Minnesota FFA Association, its members and its mission. Also- thanks for the delicious meal!

I ate some "Hassenpfeffer" (rabbit.)

Finally, after filling our bellies with German food, we made our final stop for October at the corner stone of the largest cheddar cheese producer in the nation, dairy nation-

Associated Milk Producers Inc.

Here we got a VIP tour of the butter plant in New Ulm, and learned more about our butter (which has drastically changed the way I look at butter in the store) * but it's not bad.

Are you a fan of Subway? Well, AMPI is the #1 supplier of their cheeses, including Pepper Jack (my favorite). AMPI turns over 13 million pounds of milk into cheese- EACH DAY! That means that in the last minute, over 150 pounds of cheese were made.

One of the key points I think about when I think about AMPI is the fact that they, work to "represent Midwest dairy producers in development of dairy policy."

Its not all about the money, corporate world, business ect... its about the people and the farmers who work each day to raise healthy cows to produce wholesome milk.

Mmmmm... you've just got to try the butter.

Thank you Sheryl, Ed and Bill for their time to provide and excellent experience, tour and BUTTER!

NOW FOR NOVEMBER!

Just the other day, our team set out for Inver Grove Heights to meet with a Fortune 100 company, Minnesota company and strong supporter of FFA:

CHS Inc.

Our day was spent learning even more about this food, grain and energy cooperative. Just walking into the building I thought, "I WANT TO WORK HERE!" It is a great atmosphere! Most of my time with CHS, I spent reflecting and thinking about my upcoming internship with them this summer. Through my time meeting with employees at the State fair, volunteering at the CHS Miracle of Birth Center, or talking with William Nelson about the good things that CHS Foundation has to offer- I truly feel welcome here. I can't wait until I get started with this outstanding company!

Thank you ,thank you, THANK YOU to Lisa (recent recipient of the Honorary American FFA Degree), William, Cate, Kevin, Lani, Theresa ,Brian, Jessica, Roger, Steve and many more who spent a part of their day with us. Whether it was sharing insight on careers, talking about grain marketing, learning more about how to organize an annual meeting, meeting the woman behind the words and speeches of the CHS C.E.O, sharing lunch or hearing about cool opportunities to go the the PGA tour- every moment was great. Thank you CHS for everything you do. Thanks for the SWEATSHIRT TOO!

FFA members, a lot that we do happens because of incredible individuals who work and serve companies and businesses that support FFA. With out them, a lot would not be possible. I encourage you to take some time and to write a simple thank you to these people. Thanksgiving is coming soon- why not?

What do you get when you mix a brown chicken with a brown cow ?

2009-11-11T20:13:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtibDkCPeaE

If you just laughed, or even got a smirk or even a feeling of happiness from watching this- then this joke has been fulfilled.

I, on the other hand, discovered that I FAIL at telling this joke. So I will leave it to the little girl.

Long story short- I took a trip over to Region III Minnesota to visit the FFA members of Sauk Centre, Hancock and Morris Area! Jeff ,the chapter President from Morris, invited me to attend their chapter sponsored event "Career and Technical Education Night." Since Sauk Centre is on the way to Morris, I sent an e-mail to their advisor, Ms.Adamek, to see if I could stop in for a moment.

In the Ag Leadership class in Sauk Centre we had a great time learning more about CDE's, each other as well as my lack of joke-telling skills. Enough about me, here is some information about the members!

Annie ... is one of 13 in her family! She is interested in dairy cattle, and is hoping to compete in the Dairy Cattle Evaluation CDE. In case you may not know, she is also the younger sister of the crazy Brown Swiss girl, Emily Achen .

Tiffany ... is another cattle enthusiast! Her choice - the Belted Galloway. For those of you who may not know what one looks like, quite simply, just think of an Oreo.( A black cow with a white belt in the middle. ) Mmm now I want Oreos...

Kyle, Darren and Miguel ... were the Champions of the paper airplane competition. Their superior designs, of construction paper, of course, flew the farthest down the hallway. While they may have been on top of the airplanes, the Minefield game was a different story. Up until the bell rang, no one was able to make it through the minefield.

After my short time in Sauk Centre I was then chauffeured over to the great town of Willmar to get my camera fixed because the image sensor is broken. :( ...But I got a new laptop case :)

By the way, I don't have my own car, but I do have an awesome dad who is willing to take a day of work off to drive me where I need to be! My older brother also came along to make conversation and take some pictures for me because he is a pro.

Ok, so after that little detour, (and some Taco Tuesday at Taco John's), we finally arrived at Morris Area high school. The purpose of their Career and Tech. Ed. Night was to give area high school students an opportunity to visit with representatives from local and state businesses and post-secondary colleges. The University of Minnesota- Twin Cities & Morris, South Dakota State University, Ridgewater, Alexandria Technical College, North Dakota State College of Science , Wadena Technical College and Lake Area Technical Institute- to name a few- were all present to hand out information, experience , free stuff and candy. I also got the chance to hang out with members of the Morris Area FFA Chapter and the Hancock FFA Chapter. Larrissa, Jake, Sammi, Lloyd, Brooke and other members of the Jr.Officer team were there to register people, and show off their cool chapter t-shirts that read, "I Believe." They are sweet. I also got to hang out with Jeff, Esther, Tanner, Rachel and Kelly (members of the chapter officer team) as they maintained the order and function of the event. In addition to these members, I got to see Wade , Jason, Lauren and Olivia again!

Here are some new things I learned about some members at the CTE Night:

Rachel ... is a track star. After meeting her at camp, I new that she liked to run and that she was good at track. But I didn't know that she was a State competitor. She placed 2nd in State in Pole Vaulting! She also advanced to State in the 100 m. WOW.

Andy ... is looking to continue is passion for agriculture beyond high school. He shared with me his current work with family farms, and is excitement to compete in the Farm Business Management CDE for the Hancock FFA Chapter.

Kelly... is just getting started with hockey again. After high school, she would like to study Pre-Medicine and eventually work with pediatrics, specializing in neuro-psychology. She was also on the Horse CDE team, with Rachel, from Morris Area to place 1st in Region and advance to state.

I also had a good time touring the Ag Room, checking out the newly born bunnies, and looking at the history of achievements that this chapter's members have accomplished.

As I was leaving , I stopped myself to talk to a student. I asked them, what they would like to do after high school and this is what they said,

"I wasn't entirely sure of what I wanted to do before tonight. Now, I'm pretty sure that I would like to work as an electrical engineer, or even design electrical utilities. I really think that I would enjoy that."

I loved my time. Also if you don't know Mrs. Mortenson , the agricultural education instructor in Morris, she is the bomb. I kind of want to student teach there...

Corn Drive with GFW!

2009-11-08T18:47:00.001-08:00

Q: What did the ear of corn say when he got complimented ?

A: Awww, shucks!

Ok, so that joke was a little corny. (haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa) Ok, I'm done.

Last week on Wednesday, after an exam, I drove down to Fairfax, MN to meet two friends from SLCCL- Ed and Connor . Earlier that week, I was invited my Ed to attend the Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop (GFW) FFA Chapter Corn Drive for Camp Courage. Being in college, and quite a distance from my chapter, I still wanted to remain connected to one of the biggest service projects within our state.

It was a good time as we shared some funny stories, learned more about each other and of course, went off-roading to meet farmers in their combines to ask for their donations.

Connor is a sophomore and is on the football team THAT JUST MADE IT TO THE STATE TOURNAMENT! He would like to go to school for film directing and writing.

Ed, a senior, is looking to attend college next year for engineering. He took us to his home farm and we went in one of their 5- 1,000 finish hog barns. Even though I've grown up with agriculture and on a farm, I never grew up on a hog farm, so being in one of those large barns was pretty cool.

After a good day to driving around, getting Ed's truck plastered with mud and shoveling corn- it was time to add it all up. Ed told me later that our team placed 3rd overall in raising money for Camp Courage from GFW. Ed , Connor & I ended up collecting over $800 . The top group gathered over $1,700 !

Still fine tuning the 10 second timer on cameras...

GFW has a pretty rich history in the FFA Corn Drive because they currently are the top chapter in the state for the highest cumulative amount of money raised. I'm not sure which is the correct figure, but they have either raised $160,000 total or 160,000 bushels total. Anyone know?

I hope that every chapter had a safe, successful and fun CORN DRIVE !

For those of you who may not know, for over 50 years, FFA Corn Drives have helped to sponsor children and adults with physical disabilities who attend one of two Camp Courage residential camps in central and northern Minn. A large portion of the Minnesota FFA Corn Drive profits are used to support camp needs; including, camper sponsorship, buildings and equipment.

Even if you may not be a crop farmer, you can still show your support for Camp Courage by donating money and giving to your local FFA Chapter!

Thanks Ed & Connor for letting me come with.

One of the best moments thus far...

2009-11-01T20:22:00.001-08:00

One of the coolest things happened this morning after church when a friend of mine from Minneota High School came up to me and announced,

Lee-"Kirby, I'm in FFA now!"

Me- That's awesome. You paid your dues?

Lee- "Yep, and I applied to get a jacket too."

Me- Wow, this is really exciting! (fistpound/high5/sign of approval). How long have you been a member?

Lee- "Just a week, we're just getting started."

You may think, "What's the big deal, people join FFA all the time?"

Well, if you don't know the history of Minneota, MN -they have not had an agricultural education program since the early 1980's.

What was most rewarding about this moment is a mixture of emotions:

Just hearing the words, "I'm in FFA", brings me back to the time that I officially joined FFA. I imagine the many times those FFA members of the past and present, "joined" FFA. I think, "What difference has been made in their life since they joined?"

Lee's father was an FFA member, and has told me many things about "the tiny, blue corduroy jacket in the attic." Knowing that Lee will get his very own FFA jacket, makes me think of the millions of young men and women who have worn their very own FFA jacket. While each jacket may look different based on the year it was made, what state is on the back or even how many awards are underneath their name- each jacket stands for over 80 years of tradition in agriculture, service of others and commitment to agricultural education.

The jackets that flooded the streets of Kansas City, MO for the 1933 National Convention are the same jackets that were worn last week by over 50,000 FFA members in the streets of Indianapolis, IN for the 2009 National FFA Convention. The same jackets that were worn at the 1st Alaska FFA state convention in 1976, were the same jackets worn at the 1st Rhode Island state convention in 1950. The same jacket worn by a southern Kansas farm boy, who dreams of following in his father's footsteps, is the same jacket worn by a central Minnesota girl, who dreams to be an NCIS agent. The same jacket that has been zipped up by a National Officer from California, is the same jacket that has been zipped up with the excitement of a Chapter Officer from Sleepy Eye, MN. The same jacket worn by each and every leader within our organization, will be the same jacket worn by Lee. The only difference is his jacket will be the only jacket to say,

Lee Bot

MINNESOTA

Minneota.

It's his jacket. And only his jacket will be with him through each every experience of FFA.

Just within my short time in FFA, it has most certainly made a positive difference in my life. I can't wait to see what it can do for those future members of the Minneota FFA Chapter.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles...

2009-10-25T04:18:00.000-07:00

At 6:00 this morning, the Minnesota FFA Delegate team was up and ready to go... after cramming all of the additional clothing, books and other merchandise we bought at national convention.
I was hoping to BLOG during my time at National Convention, but Internet cost $10 a day and I get WiFi here in the airport.

I shall BLOG and do my best to bring back the excitement of National Convention to all who were unable to attend. Then again, it is difficult to bottle up the excitement, leadership and passion of the over 53,000 FFA members. I hope, if you were fortunate enough to attend National Convention, that you bring back that energy you got from being at convention, and not let it be limited to 3 days out of one year.
It would be unfair to not share the stories of Mike Rowe, humor of Josh Sundquist or inspiration of a National Officer retiring address. It would be unfair that the only time you get excited about FFA is when you are in Indianapolis, or in a blue corduroy jacket.

Whether or not you still wear jacket, your passion, curiosity and commitment to this organization does not end at National Convention. I see it more as a time to renew and revitalize the roots of our desire to serve and be involved in this National organization.
The plane is leaving, so I better catch it!
See you back in MINNESOOOOOOOTA.

So long, Farewell , Auf Wiedersehen, GOOD BYE!

2009-10-19T08:49:00.000-07:00

Not too much to say but...

Dustin, Mike, Liz, Emily, Katie, Crystal, Kyle, Labecca & I are leaving today for NATIONAL CONVENTION!!!!!!

I hope to see you there! If not, I will try to keep you all posted on some happenings at convention. AND if I'm too boring, check out RFDTv or http://www.ffa.org/ for the latest on the convention.

We need BREADSTICKS!!?!?!!!

2009-10-17T22:27:00.000-07:00

For the 7th straight year the Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted FFA Chapter has dedicated their time to prepare a delicious pasta meal. For the 1st time, I got to help out!
Crystal told me about the event earlier this week, and I was sold on going the moment the words came out of her mouth. Today, I got the opportunity to hang out, reunite and meet members of the HLWW FFA Chapter! The focus of the time was to prepare lots and lots of pasta, meat sauce and bread sticks for the number of auto-racers gathering at the Stockholm Motorsports Park near Cokato, MN. Justin, Rebecca, Crystal & I were in charge of the transportation of the epic amount of bread sticks that Sarah, Ariel, Becca & Linda were making in the kitchen of the HLWW Middle School. We drove back and forth from Howard Lake and Cokato making delivery after delivery of bread sticks. They smelled incredible.
After making bread sticks, driving and even having a non formal tour of the Middle School, (the old high school) we got to sit down and eat the meal everyone else had been feasting on.
We have lots of extras! In fact I have a saran-wrapped container of bread sticks to bring back to college.
As for now... I am sitting on a couch at Crystal's with Doreen, Ariel & Sarah chilling, watching a movie, looking up stories from MyLifeIsAverage, watching YouTube videos, eating Honey crisp apples and having a good time.
According to them, I need to stop being 'ANTI-SOCIAL', so I shall leave this computer..............NOW.

Chapter Visits in Menahga/Sebeka !

2009-10-17T10:09:00.000-07:00

Both the Sebeka and Menahga High School Agriculture programs are taught by Mr. Oyster. I just clarify, Sebeka and Menahga are two separate schools. After our breakfast with the Malikowski's in Detroit Lakes, we traveled Southeast to Menahga Senior High School. It was there that we got to spend the morning with the freshman and sophmores enrolled in the Intro to Agriculture class. To most of them, FFA was a brand new concept, but for 4 students, FFA is something they are currently active in. One of the students is currently serving as the chapter treasurer.

With the time we had, we did a few activities including my favorite: PAPER AIRPLANES!

When driving down the highway, Crystal and I were brainstorming for activities and I thought, "Hmmm.... let's make paper airplanes!" Instead of just the typical paper airplane, we all drew a triangle divided into 3 parts. In each space we drew a picture of something that was important to us. We then folded our own paper airplanes for a little competition!! I learned that my original method of making paper airplanes wasn't very effective, so I just watched Crystal to give directions. Finally, after adding the final touches to our planes, we launched them down the hallway, picked up a different plane other than the one we made and read what was inside. This was a great way to learn more about those around us.

After our time in Menahga, we followed Mr. Oyster to Sebeka and visited another freshman class. The difference was this class had about 20 less students. After spending some time with the Intro to Ag. class, the Sebeka chapter officer team came down and helped us out with some other activities and started getting ready for the Cook-Out. It was great to see some familiar faces like Ally and Louise in addition to some new faces like Sam and Allan. Mr. Oyster and the officers grilled hotdogs, made juice and served chips and cookies for not us, but for the whole chapter. After visiting with some of the members from Sebeka, it was evident that Forestry and Dairy Judging are a pretty big deal!

Just as we were driving home, we came by this BISON farm!
Total mileage : 36,305,280 inches/3,025,440 feet/922 kilometers/573 miles !

Dodge,Dip,Duck,Dive,Dodge... Chapter Visit Detroit Lakes!

2009-10-16T21:12:00.000-07:00

Following our short time in North Dakota, we came back to the light (Minnesota).

We made our way to Detroit Lakes to visit the Detroit Lakes FFA Chapter during their chapter meeting. Items discussed included:

The DL FFA members that are going to be attending National Convention!
The beginning of Fruit Sales! They currently have the goal of selling over $10,000.
Upcoming participation in CDE's.
Buying the chapter t-shirt. (I bought one, and they look great!)

Crystal and I got to share during the meeting about the importance of service, being leaders for your community and why we can all be proud FFA members. BUT, we didn't want to spend too much time gabbing about that stuff, because a game of dodge ball was to follow the meeting.

I'm not sure who won, but I do know that I pwnd Crystal!!!! [ For those who may not know, pwn is a term synonymous with defeat, beat or own. =) ] This fact is based on the number of times I fired the dodge balls from my canons. (my arms) My team was pretty strong with Blake, Mike and Saunders on my side. Then again, Greg and Alli seemed to be able to get me out quite a bit too... =\ After a few rounds, we rested ourselves and sat down for some refreshments. AKA = doughnuts, cookies and Hawaiian Punch!

That night, Crystal and I were fortunate enough to stay with the Malikowski family. Both Greg , a senior, and Sarah, a freshman, are current FFA members and chapter officers. If you think you love the outdoors, you should most definitely get to know these two! They were both willing to share their trophies, experiences and venison... Oh yum. Alli, another chapter officer came to hang out with us for awhile.

Alli ... is currently serving as the chapter secretary for the DL FFA chapter. If you have any questions about what is going on with the chapter, ask her! Crystal was sweet and even gave Alli and Sarah a ride in her 2009 Mustang. BE JEALOUS.

Greg ... is serving as a Region I officer for the 2009-2010 year. He came to SLCCL this summer and made his talent debut with Blake, Eric and Brett with their own rendition of "Jump On It." Aside from his dancing skills, Greg is quite the athlete, and hunter. Just check out his room, with two bear mounts, a rack of antlers and a 5 lb large mouth bass to name a few. I enjoyed getting to know him more, and can't wait to see what his leadership will continue to do for those that he serves within the organization.

Sarah ... is just getting her feet wet in the world of FFA. Most Greenhands are pretty shy when it comes to FFA, but she is no exception! Sarah received the honor to serve as the chapter historian, and will be the only freshman to travel to National Convention this year from DL FFA. The night we stayed over, Sarah, her mom, Twila, and Greg made sure that we didn't go hungry. We ate Sarah's favorite fruit, pomegranates, in addition to fresh clementines and some venison. They even took us out for breakfast to Perkins. Soo good. I hope that Sarah gets involved with the Creed Speaking contest!!

I loved the time we were in Detroit Lakes! There are many strong leaders within their chapter that take their desire to serve to a level beyond themselves. In addition to service, these leaders share the positive difference that FFA has made in their lives with others.

I have asked myself this question... Will a state officer come from Detroit Lakes? I say, yes and I think soon. I hope that they realize the individual strengths within each of them are not only strengths for themselves, but strengths for the benefits of others and our organization as a whole.
Hopefully, I can get some action shots from dodge ball up soon. Right now, I do not have them.

I want to go back.
Now...Oh look a giant (awkward) TURKEY!

Actually, it's pronounced "BIZON, not BISON." ... Chilling with the North Dakota State Officers!!

2009-10-14T15:06:00.000-07:00

Earlier this summer, at FFA Day @ the Dome, I met the North Dakota state officer team. It was great getting to see them at the event, but one time wasn't enough, so Crystal and I road-tripped across the border (Gasp...) ... to Fargo! I knew that we would have some free time, so I called my friend Andi and told her we would be in the area, at the North Dakota State University campus.

The time we were there was informal, and we just had fun chatting with their team, going "people watching", talking about National Issues for the upcoming convention and getting decked out in Bison gear. SPEAKING OF BISON...

Me - "Hey, is there a bison statue we can get a picture with?"

Hope (ND Officer) - "A what??"

Me- " A bison statue, we want to take a picture..."

Hope- "No, I heard you, I'm just wondering what a bison is? You see, our team mascot is the Bizon."

Me- "Umm, no I'm pretty sure it's pronounced : BY-SON"

Hope- "BY-ZON!?!?"

... since we couldn't decide what was right we decided to settle our score with an

EXTREME CAGE FIGHT!!!!!

... that would have been sweet. Buuuuttttt, it didn't happen.

I don't know who is right, but I do know that even though North Dakota is our next door neighbor, we seem to speak another language! So we stopped the chat about BIZSIZSON (how ever you say it), and just had some fun around campus!

I can't wait to see them at National Convention!

... and we got hungry.

"Oh, look a dog. Let's RESCUE it! "... Region I FFA Visits DAY #1

2009-10-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

In the past two days, including today, Crystal and I both returned to the northern part of Minnesota to finish our Chapter Visits! We were up early to make our first stop at Norman County East High School in Twin Valley, MN to begin at 11:15 AM. To get there in good timing, that meant we left St.Paul, MN at 6:30 AM !

The day greeted us with some interesting obstacles beginning with the multitude of snow and Metro traffic. Not even 15 minutes of driving and Crystal's mustang starting beeping meaning, "I have low tires." So we pulled over and I checked the air, and we pulled into a gas station to pump up her tires.

No big deal!

The rural parts of northern Minnesota have quite the diversity of agriculture ranging from dairy cattle, beef cattle, soybeans and corn to sugar beets, sunflowers, Christmas trees, pheasants and bison.

Here is a picture of some sunflower fields!

Our timing to Twin Valley wasn't the best because, aside from the winter weather, we encountered construction and detours. We knew we would be later than anticipated, so I called the advisor, Ms. Fickes. Not even 20 minutes from Twin Valley when my friend Crystal said, "Oh look a dog on the road, should we save it ?"

... I say, "No, we need to get to Twin Valley, we are late."

... "But it will probably get hit!"

... "Okay, fine let's pick it up and take it to the nearest farm and then leave."

No big deal!

THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN.

We took the dog to the first house, but he chased us down the highway, so we picked him up again. Then, brought him to another place that knew where he belonged, BUT didn't want to hold him for their neighbor. NEXT, we tried to find the house and went off-roading in Crystal's mustang through mud, dirt and what I would call the worst place to get stuck. Finally, we called the Hawley vet clinic to find the home of this dog and we found it! YES, we are totally late now. But, this dog reminded me of my own dog. He was a beagle and was unfortunately struck by a car when I was younger. I think about it, and I'm glad we decided to help him because I would hope someone would do the same for my lost dog! ... For the remainder of the trip I wouldn't let go the idea of Crystal's natural rescuing instincts, so whenever we drove by road-kill I would shout, "Animal in need! Pull over Crystal, let's RESCUE it!"

We got to NCE high school at 12:00 noon, just when the class ended. Thankfully, we didn't need to be in Detroit Lakes until 6:30 PM, that night, so Ms. Fickes asked us to come back at 2:00 for another class. YES! Crystal and I went out to the "Good Food" diner, and each ordered a Bacon Cheeseburger, Fries and a Chocolate Malt. It was the perfect comfort food for our emotions. On top of the good food, we had excellent service from a sweet old lady and angel. AKA... Audrey Peterson. Audrey grew up in Ada, Minnesota and then married and moved to Twin Valley. She has lived here for the past 42 years. Thank God for her! She made my day a lot better.

*NOTE: All pictures are the product of the 10 second timer on Crystal's camera...

Once at NCE I learned some interesting things about the current Intro to Ag students:

Kareena ... just got a horse the other week for her birthday. She loves animals! Kareena lives and works on her family's beef and hog farm near Gary, MN.

Dylan ... is a young sugar beet farmer from the area. No snow can get in the way of him harvesting this year's over 2,400 acres of sugar beets that were planted! Dylan and I seemed to have a lot in common because we have the same laptop, compete in the same contest and both enjoy reading.

SUGAR BEETS!

Ms. Fickes... is the Agricultural Education instructor for the Sparsely Populated areas FFA Program. She travels from Crookston to Twin Valley to Baudette to teach agriculture to the students. She is a former Sebeka FFA member, Region II officer and competed in the National Forestry contest where her team placed 3rd in the nation.

White snow tastes good, yellow doesn't...

We had a great beginning to our Chapter Visits in Region I! After Twin Valley, we called our North Dakota state officer friends to meet them at NDSU...

I found some pictures... part 1

2009-10-10T13:05:00.000-07:00

Within the past 2 weeks, I traveled to the heart of Minnesota FFA in Region VI. Region VI includes chapters from the Southwestern part of the state including my home Chapter: MARSHALL!

My very first exposure to FFA happened at the beginning of my sophomore year in high school when I attended the Region VI Greenhand Day. BUT, I actually didn't go to Greenhand Day because I mixed up with groups and accidentally went to the Chapter Officer Workshop (COW). I don't know whether or not being at Greenhand Day would have made a difference, but COW Day got me hooked to what FFA had to offer me. I decided that I wanted to run for Region office, and maybe even state office that day. After 2 years serving as a Region VI officer, working with Greenhands, it was now my privilege to be invited to work with the chapter officers during COW Day as well as give a send off speech to the over 300 Region VI FFA members present.

Here are some pictures that I uncovered from the Marshall FFA website, so thank you!

We worked as teams to discover what we, as individuals, have to offer our FFA chapters and others beyond our time in FFA.
... and you can't have a good time without a good game of NINJA! Caleb from WWG dominated in the first game.
Marshall FFA member Brady, gave an interactive presentation with Greenhands about the Meats Judging Contest.

I loved having the time to be with the Region VI FFA leaders.

My favorite activity of the day was all about influence. Think about it...

What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of...

George Washington

Saddam Hussein

Mother Theresa

Adolf Hitler

Abraham Lincoln

Michael Vik

Martin Luther King Jr.

(and just for some fun...)

Brett Favre

Depending on the information that you have about these people, you may have a positive view or negative view. When I think of MLK Jr., I think of "peace" MLKJr. made a positive and peaceful difference in the way we as the United States treat the Civil Rights of each individual. If you and I were having a conversation about Abraham Lincoln, or George Washington- wouldn't you think that the tone of our conversation would be a positive one, shaped around the patriotism and leadership they brought to our country.

Now, think about Michael Vik. He is an outstanding football player and athlete. However, due to his actions within the past year, when Michael Vik's name comes up what do you think? Conversations, I believe, are not just about football anymore. They are laced with his negative actions linked to animal abuse and dog fighting. Just because of the one mistake he made, his name will forever have a bitter connotation with it.

When YOUR name comes up in the everyday conversation,

What do people think of YOU ?

Here is what some members said...

"A great athlete."

"Someone who sticks up for what they believe in."

"Smart."

"A good influence because ___ is involved and respects everyone. ___always works hard to accomplish ____'s goals."

"Strong willed."

"Tall, athletic baller!"

"FFA."

Just in our short time of about 4 hours, I has able to identify the individuals who are going to make a great difference on their chapter level. I also recognized individuals who will make great Region VI officers NEXT YEAR!

A big thank you to the Region VI officer team for inviting me! You did a great job with your organization of a successful event.

part 2...to be posted later.

OOFDAH...!

2009-10-08T21:48:00.000-07:00

Today was EXTREMELY eventful.
While I don't intend to break down the nitty-gritty details of each hour, I will give you a list of the 5 Big events of today!

The U of M Invite! (part I) ... today was an early morning! I up and down to the State Fairgrounds from my home in Bailey hall at 7:45 this morning to help with the Minnesota FFA , University of Minnesota Invitational. Over 1,000 FFA members from chapters across Minnesota and Wisconsin, came to test their knowledge and skills in Soils judging, Poultry Evaluation, Dairy Cattle Evaluation, General Livestock Evaluation and Horse Evaluation. I had a great time working with Sara, Trevor and Justin in the Poultry Eval. contest. I was in charge of the room with the: Keep/Cull class, Carcass Evaluation, and parts identification. I also got the perks of watching the Dairy Cattle competition because it was held in the same proximity of the poultry contest. It was great to see familiar faces from camps, conferences and state fair competing!
Norman Borlaug Memorial ... After dedicating part of my school day to the U of M invite, I then hopped on the campus connector to the Minneapolis campus, to the McNamara Alumni Center. Today was the day that a memorial was held for Nobel Peace Prize winner, Green Revolutionist, U of M alumni and father- Dr.Norman Borlaug. Dr.Borlaug passed away just one month ago.I have always wanted to meet him, but I had the privilege to meet his daughter and listen to others speak about his life. It was a great program, and Dr. Borlaug's favorite song by John Denver, "All this Joy", was played while nostalgic photos were projected on a screen. I feel blessed to have lived on the same planet as a person like Dr. Borlaug. His daughter spoke of some of her "daddy's" last words being..."Africa.I didn't get to complete my mission in Africa..." His words still resonate in my mind, even though I never heard a single word he spoke himself. It is because of people like Dr. Borlaug that I aspire to take my talents and gifts to places where war, politics and environment account for the decline in agricultural prosperity. I want to serve others on a level bigger than myself. Thank you Dr. Borlaug.
BLOOD ! ...no I didn't get attacked by mutant a pack of ninja walrus, causing me to bleed. I took part in the University of Minnesota's Homecoming Blood Drive. I gave blood! I love doing it, and can't wait until the next. (I heard there is a plasma bank near Baily Hall...)
U of M Invite (part II) ... the CDEs and contest in FFA are my favorite part. CORRECTING them: not my favorite. I helped correct the Soils contest right after class at 5:00 until about 8:00. In that amount of time, I memorized the entire key to Pit #2. I have gained a true appreciation for those who dedicate their time to organizing CDEs and making sure (our favorite part), the results are posted. Thank you Mrs. Addington and Mr. Doug Hanson!
Pomp, pomp, pomp ... this week is the "Ultimate Homecoming" at the U of M. A pretty big deal is the parade, in which the Greek life (fraternities and sororities) make floats. I have been bouncing in between helping the FarmHouse Frat and Alpha Gamma Rho this past week with pomping. It's basically taking two pieces of tissue paper and sticking them ever-so precisely onto the design of the float. The floats are COVERED! Tomorrow is the parade and I'm excited!
... no #6, I'm exhausted.

You have 30 seconds... GO!

2009-10-03T21:44:00.000-07:00

Just 2 weeks ago, on September 18, 2009, our state officer team as well as the other national convention delegates, Kyle & Liz , received an important mission.

Write your 30 second FFA elevator speech.

I had a rewarding experience spending my time with the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation at their head office in Eagan, Minnesota. While the day served as time for us as delegates to prepare for National Convention, it was first and foremost time for us to meet the faces of MfBf and further understand what we as FFA members can do for them. Staci Bohlen, National Issues Specialist, shared with us the current national issues that Farm Bureau and agriculture are facing. Based on what Staci described about her job, I would like to try it out myself some day! Kristin Harner , Public Relations and Foundation Director, additionally shared with us what her daily job is like, including the publication of the newspaper "The Voice." Besides learning more about Kristin's role, it was great to talk with her and see her being she is my MENTOR for the year!

Kevin Paap, President of the Minnesota Farm Bureau and good friend of Minnesota FFA, gave us a challenge: Write your 30 second FFA elevator speech.

What is the elevator speech? Here is my interpretation:

Think about it...

Whenever you wear you FFA jacket, people are going to notice.

What is going through their mind ?

"What is this 'FFA' they have on their jackets?"... "Are they security guards?"

Think about a time you have been in an elevator, wearing the good ol' corduroy.
State Convention.. National Convention.. A conference.. Traveling.. wherever...

You get into the elevator, and the people in the elevator give you one look and ask,

"What is FFA ?"

You don't have much time- 7 floors- 30 seconds.

This is your time to share what you believe about the organization, what you know and what is important.

What do you say ?

I encourage all, whether or not you still wear the jacket or not, to think about what you would say. If you would like, and it would be really cool, please comment with "YOUR 30 Second FFA" speech.

Here is mine,

FFA is a dynamic youth organization that engages students enrolled in agricultural education by providing opportunities for premier leadership, personal growth and career success. Since its beginning in 1928, the National FFA Organization has grown from just 33 farm boys to over 507,000 young men and women with the common desire to lead, learn and serve. Because of this organization, I have become a stronger leader with a positive vision for my own future in agriculture. It has changed my life, as well as many others.

I am grateful for people like those at Minnesota Farm Bureau. People who are passionate about what they do and willing to share their knowledge and passion with others. THANK YOU for your outstanding support and partnership with Minnesota FFA!

... (Thank you for Jimmy John's and raspberries too!)

Wrapping things up... BI&E Little Falls /Royalton!

2009-10-02T15:11:00.000-07:00

Ever heard the phrase, "Go big, or go home." ?

After my 3 days visiting chapters from Region I & II, I was most certainly NOT READY to go home. Labecca and I went big and visited Little Falls. (oh irony)

It was Homecoming week at Little Falls high school, so the halls were buzzing with the excitement of the upcoming football game and as to who would be crowned Homecoming Royalty. Little Falls, Minnesota has its claim to fame as the birthplace of Charles Lindbergh. It is also a small town with a large passion and connection to the dairy industry. Most of the students we met, including Frank, either grew up on a dairy farm or worked on a dairy farm.
While visiting the Animal Science class at Little Falls, we started thing out with a 'little' game of "Skin the Snake", followed by class discussion and activities about CDE's , SAE's and Leadership.

Megan... looks to become an even more active member in the chapter. Lucky for Megan, her mother helps run and coordinate all FFA activites within the chapter. Her sister, Natalie is serving as the chapter president.

Sarah... has her sights set on going to school, after she graduates this year, for Agricultural Education. It was clear, even though she was humble about it, that she is a great leader not only for her FFA chapter, but for those around her, like her peers.

The leadership and potential for leadership within this classroom was evident . And I'm not talking about your typical FFA leadership. Most of these students lead while on the football field, during cross country practice, at home with younger siblings or simply by volunteering or raising their hand in hte classroom. The number of leaders in this school is great, it's just of a matter of getting them to become leaders for their FFA chapter. I can't wait to see where this chapter goes!

Just after Little Falls, we drove further down state, back towards the Twin Cities, and to Royalton, Minnesota. Royalton opened up their chapter meeting for Labecca and I to watch, learn more about their chapter as well as provide activities. Royalton is another strong chapter with a pretty good dairy influence being their Dairy Cattle team has placed 2nd in state for 2 consecutive years. Here is the rest of the scoop:

John... has the best last name ever. SCHMIDT. (And it's spelled correctly). John is quite active on the chapter and state level. He is currently serving as the Royalton chapter president, and has been honored on the state level for his accomplishments in Dairy Cattle Evaluation. (1st place individual, 2nd place team 2008) ... not bad at all...

Katie... clued everyone in at the meeting about the current budget for the chapter. She is currently serving as the chapter treasurer, ontop of being an athlete in cross country. Katie also shared with me her interest in horses.

Royalton is has an outstanding Agricultural Education Program thanks to the students, community and administrative support. But above all, their FFA program would not be of as high quality without the advisory of Mr.Voyles. It was truly an honor to see this great educator in action with his students, and the desire for them to learn.

When the bell rang, school was out-practices started and people left. When that bell rang, it chimed the end of one incredible adventure through the Agricultural Programs of northen Minnesota. I wish it didn't go by so fast, but it makes me excited for future visits with agricutlural education programs throughout the state of Minnesota.

Recap: St.Paul->Duluth->Grand Rapids->Baudette->Northome->Blackduck->Wild Acres-> Brainerd-> Little Falls-> Royalton -> St.Paul.

TOTAL MILES: 705 miles and over 14 hours on the road! ... 100% worth it.

*Pimp my ride... BI&E Brainerd!

2009-09-30T20:55:00.000-07:00

It was the final day of my time up in northern Minnesota, and we were on our way to Brainerd, MN. First stop:

Mills Ford

Ford has had a rich history for it's partnership with the National FFA Organization. Within Minnesota, Northland Ford has made it's mark through it's sponsorship of the State Greenhand Leadership Conference & State Leadership Conference for Chapter Leaders. Northland Ford is a Distinguished Star Partner for the Minnesota FFA Association, the highest level of partnership. And finally, within Brainerd is their own Ford based supporter- Mills Ford.

Labecca and I took the morning to meet with some representatives to share some more information with us about what Mills Ford is all about. As much as I would like to claim that I wanted one of the first cars that Mills Ford sold when they began in the 1920's, I had my eyes set on the new 2010 Mustang GT 500 Cobra. It was evident, as Patrick and Marla shared with us, that the values of Mills Ford are a part of hundreds of people employed there. The company believes:

" We strive to develop mutual long-term relationships
with our customers through dedicated employees and world class service."

Each day, over 90 vehicles are served. That adds up to about 32,000 services a year ranging from an oil change to "pimping" your ride. You choose!

After our brief, yet worthwhile time at Mills Ford, we traveled just down the road to Brainerd high school. We had quite a bit of time to spend with the Small Animals & Natural Resource classes, and sat down for lunch with the officer team:

Kenny... is ambitious and quite precise about what he would like to do in the future. Next year, Kenny wants to go into the marines. Eventually, he would like to take his love of welding and serve as an underwater-welder for the United States Marines. Kenny also helped me create a new POWER. The POWER "Chea" which is a slurred version of "CH" & "YEAH".

Riley... made a similar attempt to those from previous visits to jump over the $1, but was unsuccessful. He did succeed in his portrayal of a bull moose, antlers and all.

Shantelle, Chelsey, Grant, Betsy, Sarah, and Dan ... hosted us for lunch. Within their school is a cozy little restaurant, where we were served a bottomless bowl of chicken and wild rice soup. It was a good way to refuel for the day. Since most of the Brainerd officer team was at SLCCL , we reminisced our memories. Chelsey reminded me of the A-Z review and the word everyone shouted when we got to "S"... SHOES.

During lunch, we also got to visit with an important supporter of the Brainerd FFA Alumni Chapter, as well as members of the school's faculty.

As Mr. Ertl told us, "We could make an entire day out of being in Brainerd." I would have to agree when thinking about all that we experienced just within the 2-3 hours we were there. Brainerd has a diverse community of agricultural industries and FFA supporters, I hope to meet more of them in the future!

Total Kilometers... 960 km traveled.... numerous tanks of gas.

Not nearly as bad as Alfred Hitchcock made it seem... BI&E Pequot Lakes!

2009-09-29T09:56:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen the movie, "The Birds." - I haven't either. But from what I have concluded is that it is a movie about a large amount of birds that attack and kill people. Sound fun?
Not really. BUT the place Labecca and I visited, was A LOT of fun. A large flock of birds didn't attack us or anything, but we did get to see many turkeys, chickens, ducks, pheasants, quail, partridge and geese. And these birds were pretty cool (especially the ducks.)

On our 3rd day near Pequot Lakes, after a relaxing night in a hotel and eating at Mayson's Grille in Jenkins, MN we took some back roads to visit an agricultural industry leader:

"Wild Acres Game Farm."

Wild Acres is located near the heart of northern Minnesota, deep in the woods. When we drove onto the site, we were greeted by the sights and sounds of many of the birds that call Wild Acres home as well as the towering buildings that gave them shelter.

Wild Acres is the largest hatch to harvest farm for poultry and game birds in the United States.

We were given an excellent and informative tour of the farm and facilities starting with hatch, and finishing with harvest.Wild Acres has been a great friend of FFA with their sponsorship of of the Pheasant and Duck Release Programs around the state.

The first building we visited had several, large scale incubators. They look quite similar to a large refrigerator, however they are at a constant temperature of 99 degrees Fahrenheit. All of the eggs are picked daily, by hand, from the breeding pens, disinfected and then placed in the incubators. We were lucky enough to have visited on hatch day! The picture says it all. Over 125,000 birds are hatched at Wild Acres annually from their own stock.

(These chicks and ducks do not live in here forever. They hatch and then eventually moved to a large pen with heat lamps to transition them into their future on the farm with in the same day.)

After getting a chance to even hold the newly hatched chicks, we were taken to the various barn that housed the birds in their different stages of life.

One of the outdoor pheasant pens we looked at had over 4,000 pheasants in it!

The final stop was the processing building. Every single week, over 1,000 birds are processed on the farm and sold to locals as well as large restaurants in the metropolitan area of Minnesota. And on each and every day that these birds are processed, a State employed inspector is there to ensure the safety and welfare not only of the birds but of the employees.

I enjoyed every minute of my time here and I hope to visit in the future, and possibly put my name on a covey of quail to buy.

Wild Acres Game Farm is a 2nd generation, family farm.

* Visit their website to learn more...

http://wildacresmn.com/index.cfm/pageid/8

Q: What did the detective duck say to his partner ?:...BI&E Blackduck!

2009-09-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

A: I hope we can quack this case !

...Regardless, in the afternoon of Day 2 of our trip around northern Minnesota, we made a length-y pit stop in Blackduck, MN. While visiting the high school and their agricultural education program, under the advisory of Mr. Freisen , Labecca and I got to hang out with the 8th grade introductory ag class. Afterwards, we spent some time with the chapter officer team discussing what our own individual strengths were. And in between all of this fun, we managed to go and visit an elk farm as well as meet with a member from the Beltrami County Farm Bureau. Here is a rundown:

Tisheena... spent a week with FFA members from across the state at SLCCL! It was great getting to see her again, and to see her in action serving as a chapter officer. When presenting to the 8th grade classes, Tisheena shared some of her own experiences and advice about FFA. Thanks!

Johnny... almost gave me a run for my money during the "Dollar Jump Challenge." You see, in order to demonstrate the opportunities in FFA to win and earn money, we placed a dollar bill on the ground. You could win the $1 only if you successfully jump over it the long way while holding onto your toes the entire time. ... Thankfully, no one could do it, but they were close.

Caleb... was victorious in the decision to see what team, "The Sour Skittles" or "The Smarties", would go first in Charades. Instead of your typical [Rock-Paper-Scissors], I like to change it up and play: [Awkward Turtle-Turkey-Palm tree]. Caleb was stellar in his choice of the "Awkward Turtle" to defeat Johnny's choice of "Awkward Turkey." Quite simply... Turtle eats turkey~turkey poops on tree~palm tree falls on turtle.

Josh... as much as he encouraged me, couldn't get me to jump on the elk for a rodeo show. After visiting Blackduck high school, we took a school bus to an Elk farm near town! This was the perfect time of the year to see the bulls because they were in the rut season. In other words, they had very large antlers. This past summer, Josh also attended SLCCL and is known not only for his laugh, but for his desire to serve others in life.

Dana... said, after reviewing what we learned about FFA, "I learned that FFA is for everyone and has a lot of opportunities." She also made the attempt to jump the dollar, but was not quite successful.

John... is a representative of the Beltrami County Farm Bureau. John shared with us his experiences within agriculture, and his involvement with the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation.

Overall, I had a great time in Blackduck. It was so interesting to have learned so much in one day about the diversity of Minnesota agriculture.

From Baudette to Northome to Blackduck, we definitely got some mileage on our shoulders as well as a deeper appreciation for our northern neighbors.

Thank you very much Blackduck FFA for letting us spend time with you for the limited time we had!

Mileage count after Day #2...

451 miles

What kind of bear is best ? ... BI&E Northome!

2009-09-27T12:02:00.000-07:00

[ One of my favorite scenes from 'The Office' ]

Jim (dressed as Dwight): Question:what kind of bear is best ?

Dwight: That's a ridiculous question

Jim: FALSE. Black bear.

Dwight: That's debatable. There are basically two two schools of thought...

Jim: Fact: Bears eat beets. Bears. Beets. Battlestar Gallactica.
Dwight: Bears do not... what is going on? WHAT ARE YOU DOING? [pause] Oh, well your sincere imitation is flattering.

...Ok, so that might have been semi-random BUT, it does have a point. Following our morning in Baudette; Labecca, Mr. Ertl and I traveled back down the state of Minnesota, through the bogs and past Red Lake to the town of Northome. With a population of about 230, Northome is has been dubbed "The Heart of Big Bear Country", because of the black bears that are hunted frequently there. (hence , The Office, reference)

While visiting the high school students of Northome I learned a lot about the members and about their FFA chapter:

Mark... is a former Blackduck FFA member, and current Northome FFA member. He has had a number of state level experiences including this past State Convention and SLCCL 2008. (The year they broke the couch, Mark reminded me)

Trista... is interested in horses and would like to study Equine at the University of Minnesota Crookston. I think that is a great choice, considering the excellent facilities they have there. She is also serving as a chapter officer.

Chester... currently works for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. In his position, he spends his time removing invasive species.

Cody... has a deep interest in the outdoors. From working on a resort to hunting grouse and even guiding bear hunting trips, Cody has done it all. Whenever he isn't collecting trophies out in the woods, he can be found on the football field representing the Mustangs as the team's center.

Mr. Sherman and his small engines class, took Labecca and I out to their school forest to see the trails and shelters they built. The school forests are managed by the students in Northome. Being in "BEAR COUNTRY", I asked Cody to track me a bear.

As intently as I fixed my eyes to the trees, looking for a ruffed-grouse or black bear, I didn't see anything. When I looked to the ground, I did find a leopard frog, but it wasn't that big of a deal because I see them everywhere. I also learned that in addition to their chapter's annual "Fruit Sales"( some thing I am sure you are familiar with), they harvest the timber from their school forest and have "Timber Sales" (something that blew my mind) NORTHOME: If you ever have extra timber, you know who to call.

Labecca and I got to meet the superintendent of the school district, eat lunch with the students and above all, - WE HAD A GREAT TIME!
I look forward to see where this chapter goes, the new ideas they have to further engage current and potential FFA members and the community of Northome.

Hopefully the Northome jacket will return to St.Paul for State Convention !

435.17 miles... are we there YET ?!

A Wonderful Willie Walleye Welcome... BI&E Baudette!

2009-09-26T11:19:00.000-07:00

The third stop on our tour of Northern Minnesota took us, just about, as far north as you can go. The city of Baudette, MN is located near the Canadian border and is, after I 'Map-Quest'-ed it, 8.5 hours away from my house in Southwest Minnesota. It's far.
Baudette's agricultural program is a part of the new 'Sparsely Populated Areas" initiative. Ms. Fickes, the instructor has put forth an amazing commitment because she drives over 3.5 hours from her home in Crookston, to teach in Baudette and then another hour to Twin Valley, MN.

Because of the limitations of geography, the students get to see Ms. Fickes in class by watching TV. Once a week, she will come to visit and teach in person.

The Animal Science class Labecca and I visited in the morning had 10 students with interests ranging from forensic science and truck driving to horses and constructional engineering. One student had just returned from the Minnesota 4-H Horse show at the State Fair grounds. Everyone learned about supporting each other in the 'Human-Table', just like we do with each other in FFA through our relationships with sponsors, partners, alumni, advisors and friends.

Desiree... is interested in small animals. She would like to possibly work with small animal health as a veterinarian or veterinary technician.

Just as we entered and left Baudette, there are 3 distinct things I remember:

Willie the Walleye ... Baudette is known as the Walleye capital of the WORLD! If only I had my fishing pole, or at least a fork...
The road sign that alluded to the fact that Baudette is on the border of Canada! If only I had my passport, or at least a convincing Canadian accent...
Tuning the radio, and instead of listening to the English or Spanish station- we listened to the French station! If only I had a translator, or at least some French in my blood...

365.44 miles and STILL counting...

Minnesota's largest Wal-Mart ... BI&E GRAND RAPIDS!

2009-09-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

After our morning visit in Duluth, we were "On the Road Again." Our next stop would be in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. AKA- The birthplace of Dorothy AKA- Judy Garland.

As much as I was excited to meet the members of Grand Rapids FFA , my eyes were glued to the walls within the ag room. Not only were the walls covered with the accomplishments of the chapter members at the regional and state level, but with mounted ducks, owls and a giraffe. Now the... Oh, wait. YES I SAID GIRAFFE.

Mr. Linder, was lucky enough to get his hands on a large collection of exotic animal mounts ranging from hyenas, to wildebeest to the long-necked giraffe. I felt like all of my childhood dreams came true. Don't you wish your ag room had a giraffe?

As much as I would love to talk about giraffes, I will regain my train of thinking and give you a little insight on the members I met in Grand Rapids:

Ryan ... currently "wrastles" (yes, I intended to have the 'a' not "e") for Grand Rapids and will be competing in Indianapolis at National Convention in the Forestry CDE. In the future, he hopes to continue to pursue his interest in Forestry and work for the industry.

Maia ... gave a great speech at the Rotary International meeting we attended Monday night. She spoke on behalf of the other State Champion CDE Team, the Horse Evaluation Team. Maia enjoys horses as much as she enjoys 4-H, and she would like to work with extension in the future.

Jessica... placed 3rd overall in the Forestry CDE this past April at State. While visiting the Forest History Center, she helped me assemble a bear trap out of Lincoln Logs, in addition to helping me identify different trees. I learned that Jack Pine, is definitely not Jessica's favorite tree. She will represent Minnesota FFA at the National level this October!

Lauren... was my host for the night. But before staying at her house, she drove Jessica and I to Wal-Mart to explore and to buy some delicious Ben & Jerry's Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream. YUM. But it doesn't stop there. Lauren's mom greeted us with some fresh, home-made apple pie. I was already ridiculously full from eating at Arby's, then Rotary (we didn't know we would get a meal), then Ben & Jerry's. But, who cares! I DON'T. It was soo good. Lauren has worked at the local vet clinic and has traveled to Peru and Sweden.

Here are some other TOP 5 cool things from our time in Grand Rapids:

1. Visiting the Forest History Center and learning about the Forestry industry of Northern Minnesota and the devastating 1918 Cloquet fire. We got to sit through an interactive theatre that told us the story. This was eye opening, and quite sad to hear the testimonies. One voice that resonates in my minds still was when a boy told the story of coming home to find his home, barn and cattle all destroyed by the fire.

2. Having "BLOB" races , and spending time with members!

3. A rabbit racing into the bathroom just as I opened the door. (At 5:00 am, I wasn't sure if I was dreaming)

4. A nice comfy, fluffy, amazing bed to sleep in! (Beats my dorm bed)

5. Rotary International donated a check of $250 to the 2 State Champion Teams traveling to National Convention!!

One day and 234 miles behind us... Can't wait for more!

A trip to ALWAYS remember... BI&E: DULUTH!

2009-09-23T21:08:00.000-07:00

Every year the state officer team has the opportunity to visit 2 regions throughout the state of Minnesota. These visits have traditionally been called Business, Industry & Education Tours. (BI&E Tours) During this time, we as state officers take time out of school to visit agricultural education programs, classrooms, businesses and industry leaders within the assigned regions.

Lucky for Labecca and I, we got to explore the northern part of Minnesota as we visited REGION II FFA!!! The following blog posts will capture the past three days we spent traveling in a mini-van with the one and only Mr. Ertl, the State FFA Executive Secretary.

Our very first visit was with agricultural education instructor, Ms. Madole and the Duluth FFA Chapter ! Duluth is a picture frame city, with its towering Norway pines trees that rest upon the hills, gradually fading into the deep blue of Lake Superior.

In Duluth, there are 3 high schools: Duluth East, Duluth Denfeld & Duluth Central. The Career and Technical Education building, home of the agricultural department, is located on the Duluth Central campus, so students commute to the classes held there.

In Duluth, Labecca and I met with two classes: the Forestry class and Plant Science class.

In each class we met some current FFA members and some potential FFA members including:

Jesus ... Did you happen to see any amazing artwork at the State Fair? Chances are that you saw his artwork as he made a drawing the won Grand Champion at the MN State Fair. Jesus is a senior.

Brittany ... is fairly new to FFA, but had the awesome opportunity to represent Duluth at State Convention this past April. She is quite interested in Forestry in addition to snowboarding and Guitar Hero. When she isn't tearing up the slopes, Brittany enjoys nannying in the Twin Cities and working with younger children.

Keifer ... is an avid outdoors man. He loves going out in his canoe and is also interested in Forestry.

Hoshka ... is interested in Small Animals. She enjoys pets and would like to work with children and ensuring their health and safety.

In addition to meeting agricultural students, we went crowd surfing with Ms.Madole and stopped for some lunch with members of Duluth's BPA Chapter. (Business Professionals of America)

As one student, George put it, "FFA, basically, sounds like something for everyone, and that the opportunities you get for it will definitely help you in the future." ... well said.

I had a great time visiting with the program in Duluth and look forward to see where their FFA chapter will go, and more than that- where the members will go.

Until next time - SEE YA!

151 miles and counting...

decisions, decisions, decisions ...

2009-09-19T20:13:00.000-07:00

Life is most certainly, all about DECISIONS.

Some of the decisions we make are to be proud of, while others are to be frowned upon. In my life, specifically this past week, I made a relatively big decision.

Entering my freshman year of college, I declared my major as Animal Science; Pre-Veterinary Medicine. The very first assignment in my Orientation to Animal Science class was to write a paper about why we wanted to be in the Animal Science career pathway.

After about 2 hours of writer's block I finally told myself, "Ok, just write what you want." And that is when this sentence happened:

"It is through writing this paper that I have discovered that a major in Animal Science and focus in that career pathway, is something that I will not pursue. My interest and passion for agriculture stretches far beyond animal science, and to choose such major would be cheating me of my true, life aspirations."

This didn't just happen that day. I have been thinking about this throughout this past summer, and school year. After many months of discerning, I have decided to pursue a major in Agricultural Education: Leadership & Communication. Why ? Well, time will tell this year. I just knew that my true passion is to not only educate people about agriculture, but to empower them to become leaders themselves in the vast world of agriculture.

More thoughts down the road, but that's me for now...

Where was I ?

2009-09-16T19:41:00.000-07:00

Wow! Time can get away from you really fast!

For those of you still tuning in, I hope you are all enjoying the new school year. Yes, I know that homework is NOT enjoyable, but I think school is fun because then you can see your friends again. And really, what classes aren't fun with your friends ?

It seems like eons ago that the Great Minnesota Get Together happened, but it was not even 12 days ago that the barns were loud with livestock, streets packed with fairgoers, and stomachs full of food only sold on a stick.

To give you a recap, here is my own list of :
The Minnesota State Fair... in NUMBERS!

1,790,497... The final, RECORD BREAKING, attendance of all 12 days !

90,807 ... attended the Grandstand shows including: Jeff Dunham, Kid Rock and Casting Crowns ! ... Kelly Clarkson cancelled her concert because she felt sick., not too many people were happy.

20,000 ... dollars in scholarship money awarded by the State Fair to 4-H and FFA members!

4,788... flu shots were administered to fair-goers ! ... 120 4-H kids were sent home because of H1N1 :(

1,952 ... livestock were exhibited in the State FFA Livestock Show including 328 beef cattle, 284 dairy cattle, 495 swine, 86 goats and 759 sheep! I was proud to have exhibited and shown my own Polypay ewes , where one was named Grand Champion!

1,310 ... pounds ...the weight of "Deano", Minnesota's Largest Boar !

500... different kinds of food you can eat at the State Fair!... 70 are on a stick.

254... people that only cared to ask, "Where is the bathroom?" , while in the FFA Chapter House. ... The bathrooms are in the Coliseum!

170 ... total births that occurred at the CHS Miracle of Birth Center including 125 piglets, 33 lambs and 12 calves !

90 ... pounds of butter were used to carve the likeness of Hutchinson FFA member Elizabeth Olson! She was crowned the 56th Princess Kay of the Milky Way!!

78 ... FFA members made their way to the Swine Barn to get down at the FFA Dance!

69 ... degrees Fahrenheit, the average temperature at 1 pm for all 12 days... not bad.

55 ... years that FFA has held a State Crop show!

30 ... FFA members from across the state volunteered their time to work at the CHS Miracle of Birth Center. They spent many hours telling not only the story of Minnesota agriculture, but their own story. ... And I could never forget, from my own experience, the many interesting questions asked by fairgoers.

26 ... past state officers that I met and talked to in the FFA Chapter House!

14 ... chapters competed in the Landscape booth contest. Forest Lake FFA was named Champion!

10 ... slices of free pizza that I ate in one day! Thank you Moo Booth!!!

3 ... rounds of questions before the Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted FFA Chapter was named the 1st Annual FFA Quiz Bowl Champion!

1... More year until the next !!!

Mark your calendars for August 26 -September 6, 2010!

We as FFA members have incredible opportunities each time we visit the state fair. Whether it is winning premium money for exhibiting livestock or crops, meeting new friends in the swine barn, promoting the agricultural industry at the CHS Miracle of Birth Center, making an appearance on TV, eating some delicious fair food or visiting with politicians- everyday is a brand new, exciting day at the fair, and it is waiting for you to give it a shot!

FYI: The Minnesota State Fair rocks.

Once upon a dentist's chair...PART 2 !

2009-08-20T20:14:00.001-07:00

The last time I sat in a dentist's chair, I had quite the conversation. This time around, I was in no shape to talk because I was amp-ed up on novocaine! Yes, I got my wisdom teeth removed today. I've always heard people groaning and moaning about how, "It's sooooo terrible! IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD!"

- I must be weird because I feel perfectly fine.

They call them "wisdom" teeth because they emerge at a time in your life when you are past childish knowledge, and are at a wise age. I hope the removal of my wisdom teeth doesn't make me wisDUMB.

Also I got a new laptop! It's a lenovo, Think Pad & I love it.

4-square anyone ... ?

2009-08-18T20:40:00.000-07:00

At FarmFest, I was invited by the President of the Lyon County Farm Bureau, Carolyn Olson, to attend the annual meeting on August 18 and give a keynote speech.
OK!
That was tonight, and I didn't even realize it until Carolyn reminded me, "This is your first meeting as a Farm Bureau member."
SWEET!
Our empty stomachs were filled with delicious barbecue ribs. One rib was enough, but one napkin was not. (I made sure to keep my OD nice and clean)
Kate Merna , Vice President of Marshall FFA, gave a great thank you speech to those in attendance of the meeting for the Farm Bureau's sponsorship of her trip to 'Red White and You.' It was evident that Kate had a great time based on her enthusiasm, humor and thoughtful words. I know Kate has a bright future ahead of her and can't wait to see where she will go.
The meeting was enlightening and full of great door prizes including a sweet daredevil lure I got with, of course, a Farm Bureau logo on the side.

After the meeting I took off, just down E College Drive to the High School where the Marshall FFA Chapter was having their monthly meeting. Members shared their summer experiences, upcoming state fair, and new plans for fall recruitment. I'm excited for them and wish I could be there.
BUT- My favorite part of our FFA meetings is the post-meeting activities. This night we played 4-square.
... for 2.5 hours! It was insane! My advisors were, on the contrary, not so insane. Mr. Sawatzke got into it, but the ball kept rolling through his legs and his arms would continuously flail to try to smack the ball. FAIL!
Once it got dark, Eli got his truck out and turned on his head-lights so we could see. We also discovered a vast ( and I mean VAST ) amount of frogs in the grass. I think I counted over 20, and we had fun just playing with them and scaring Courtney.

I love days like this!
...now to pack for college =)

PS: Check out the Minnesota Farm Bureau website for all of the great opportunities thye provide agriculturalists and FFA members like: Discussion Meet and Ag Pen Pals!

http://www.fbmn.org/page/home.html

* become a FAN on Facebook!

Let's call it a WEEK!

2009-08-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

4 wheels + 9 destinations + 10 days 1,537 miles = 1 tired Kirby Schmidt.
This past week was, to say the least, action-packed!

Day 1-3 ... FARMFEST!

Every single year, agricultural enthusiasts young and old gather at the Historical Gilfillan Estate on Hwy 67 between Redwood and Morgan, Minnesota. Labecca, Emily, Mike, Katie, Crystal and I all made the trip to work at the U of M booth handing out posters to those who were able to over come the infamous trivia wheel.
#1 question that was answered incorrectly:

What animal is Goldy Gopher, the mascot , modeled after ?

a. woodchuck ... b. squirrel ... c. gopher... d. beaver

... if you THINK you know it (granted not everyone had Internet at FarmFest to look up answers)... send me an e-mail at schmidtkirby@hotmail.com and the first correct answer will get a sweet prize!
Besides trivia, I took the opportunity to help the President of the Minnesota Farm Bureau, Mr. Kevin Paap, with serving Pork chops at the tent as well as flip a few pancakes at the free pancake breakfast sponsored by MNFB. They were delicious! Our team got to meet with Governor Tim Pawlenty and share some jokes. I had a great time reuniting with FFA members from across the state from: Dassel-Cokato, Springfield, Sleepy Eye, Hancock, Montevideo, Wabasso, Marshall, Tracy, HLWW, Buffalo Lake-Hector and Canby among others! These members were here to explore, help serve milk shakes, give farm safety demonstrations and serve pork chops. I also met with many agricultural leaders, known and unknown including MDA Commissioner Gene Hugoson, 2004-2005 Minnesota State President Jeff Buyck and some younger people from Westbrook, MN that have redefined what it means to be an entrepreneur with their tasty, home-made barbecue sauce.

DAY 4-6... LYON COUNTY FAIR/ FREEBORN COUNTY FAIR

The very first friend that I made, outside of Marshall, MN, and in the National FFA Organization was Logan Hansen from the Glenville FFA chapter. I met Logan at the Region Officer conference, POWER over 2 summers ago. Logan has been a great friend of mine and has always told me of the famous, "FREEBORN COUNTY FAIR!" I have never been there, but decided that this year would be the year.

After getting home from FarmFest, I took time to go and hang out at my local county fair, Lyon County, with my fellow state officer , Emily. We had a good time judging, to ourselves, the dairy cows and sheep, watching the sheep show, checking out the FFA sponsored Children's Barnyard as well as visiting with FFA members. GOOD FUN! But it doesn't stop there, because the next day I was back on the road towards Albert Lea for the Freeborn County Fair, where I met Logan, his family and his friends. For just $13.50, I got to see Little Big Town in concert and enjoy a cool, refreshing Reese's blizzard. We watched a classic, The Goonies, later and got some sleep. The next day, we traveled to Kasson, MN for a softball tournament, grilling and a calm, clear swimming pool just waiting for someone to splash it via, the belly flop contest. (That would be me)

DAY 7-9...Metro Alumni Picnic, CHS Miracle of Birth Center, HLWW Lake Party, NRHEG Chapter Officer Visit!

Yes, I got home late on a Saturday night! On Sunday, I went to church with my family and then helped with a Whopper Feed fundraiser for a vocation (not vAcation) trip that I will going on with my church youth group to Rome, Italy. Then I was off, picking up Kirsten and Megan Thurk to make our trek to the Twin Cities. It was quite an interesting trip, and a ton of fun. I wish all of my trips in the car were that much fun. We, after several detours and lost-ness, made it to the Metro Alumni Picnic to reunite with the State Officer team and meet alumni members. That night we also had a campfire and roasted marshmallows at FarmHouse Fraternity, then took an adventure to a nearby playground and (literally) hung out.

The next day was the CHS Miracle of Birth Center training!!! Thanks to the Mid West Dairy Association's Sherry Newell and my aunt, Donna Moenning for putting together a great training session. Come see us at the fair!

That night, I took a good 2 hours nap and then left with the team to Waverly, MN for the HLWW FFA Lake Party. We played beach volleyball, went swimming and made sand castles! I met a member:
Justin ...previously lived in Pennsylvania. He also is a member of the cross country team and plays in the Jazz band. Justin recently won the State Nursery Landscape contest and will be advancing to Nationals with fall! GOOD LUCK.

On the last day, Tuesday, Labecca and I drove down to New Richland to visit the NRHEG FFA Chapter Officer Team. We helped them plan a new activity for this fall including a post Homecoming Game bonfire and fun night, hosted by the FFA Chapter. We hope all goes well!

Day 10... MURRAY COUNTY FAIR!

On the FINAL day of my crazy driving expedition, I drove down to the Murray County Fair to visit the FFA Barnyard there. However, when I got there, no FFA members were there :( I enjoyed the night talking with camp friends Sammy from Nicollet and Cody from Tracy. Congratulations to Cody, he exhibited the Champion Market Goat! I also got to meet some past and future FFA members: Jim, Cody's dad (2nd place National Swine Production) and his younger brother Kaleb. We made the following connection...

Me- "I raise sheep just west of Marshall, we have Polypays."
Jim- "Hmm..."

Me- "Do you know what Polypays..."

Jim- "Yes, I used to own them.'

Me- "Oh, where did you get them? "

Jim- "You know, if you take the airport road past Marshall on 19 ? Yeah, just north of 19 I bought a nice buck from a lady with all of these books and records and..."

Me- "Lila Schmidt?"

Jim- "YEAH!'

ME- "That would be my mom..."

DAY TODAY... Whew! ... time to work with my sheep, State Fair is soon!!!

(Who are WE ?!) ...SPC!

2009-08-06T17:32:00.000-07:00

The week of July 21-25, I had the honor to represent the Minnesota FFA Association with Katie and Mrs. Addington at the 2009 State Presidents' Conference in Washington D.C.

Here, each association was allowed to send two state officers to represent at the conference where national delegate issues would be voted on and committees would be prepared for National Convention. The national officer team, executive secretary Mr. Brown and the owl himself, the national advisor, Mr. Case joined us for the conference.

We had the opportunity to meet with outstanding leaders in the agricultural industry including the newly apppointed Secretary of Agriculture, Mr. Tom Vilsack. Katie and I also met some of the folks who represent Minnesota in D.C including the Chair of the House Ag Committee, Mr. Collin Peterson and Congresswoman, Michelle Bachman.

When we visited Bachman, we showed up extra early, and twittled our thumbs! While waiting, we were told that Bachman was currently in the Capital building, voting on the floor. Bummer, we con't see her. Then one of her representatives said they would help us out and actually take us to the Capital and near the voting floor to chat with her. SWEET!

(You see we had tried before to get into the Capital, but discovered you had to be VIP or have some tickets.) ... yeah we didn't have any. :(

Luckily, we were rushed through the Capital and just down, and outside the voting room, what you may recognize as the place where the president gives his State of the Union address. We met with Bachman and got a cool photo.

Besides the Capital, we toured many other historical buildings and places including : the Iwo Jima Memorial, Arlington Cemetary, Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Ford's Theatre, Washington Monument, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Basilica of the Immaculate Conception,World War II Memorial and FDR Memorial.

(Not to mention: an ample amount of large, gigantic muscular/godly/naked statues)... I think they modeled most of the muscular ones after me, they just forgot to put the OD on them.

We weren't there just to sight-see and take crazy tourist pictures!

We were there with serious business and intent of voting on the issues for delegation at National Convention and creating the committees.

This year's committees will include topics about global engagement, alumni programs, the New Horizons magazine, program affiliation, post-secondary opportunities, expanding membership and being inclusive. I am excited to work with the Global Engagement Committee and was elected to serve as the committee secretary at National Convention.

Meeting the officers from the different associations, including my friends from New York, Kansas, South Dakota, Oregon, North Dakota, California, Idaho, Georgia, Tennessee and Nebraska was great. We spent may hours comparing accents and playing the coolest game to cross the FFA world :Ninja. (Don't worry, you shall learn soon)

Walking through the DC area, and traveling on the Metro was great because of all of the people I met that were curious about, "the blue jackets?" I met a young woman, Germaine from Cameroon in Africa. She had one of the most inspiring stories, shared while on the Metro. She told me of how she lost her father at a young age, and the struggles of her family and the oppression she faced from her government. Germaine came to the United States in hopes of going to school to be a medical doctor. With only pennies in her pocket and dreams in her heart, Germaine spent her first years working to fund her education and studying to learn the English language, which all of her classes were taught in. Her passion to serve others and endless scholarly atitude paid off this past year as she recieved a full ride scholarship to one of the top medical schools in the country, John Hopkins. It was so inspiring to see the dreams of others come alive. I have always heard about the "American Dream", but I have never experienced it like this.

I also had a great time just getting to be with and travel with my teammate and friend Katie. I had fun times on the Metro, trying to make perfect timing with "jump" pictures and sitting down and getting to know her better. I can't wait until we meet again, and look forward to further building our friendship! :)

A BA weekend...

2009-08-02T15:22:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the weekend everyone in my local town of Ghent, Minnesota look forward to all year. (Probably more than Christmas) Ghent, is primarily a Belgian-American, farming town full of Bossuyts, VanKeulens, Noyes, Hennens and Engels all of which are very Belgian surnames. Of course, no BA Days (Belgian American), would be complete without fresh, crispy Belgian cookies and a rolle bolle tournament.

What's "Rolle Bolle" ?!
The best way I could describe it is, in comparison to horseshoes. In Rolle Bolle, (pronounced: Roll-e Bowl-e) you have a "bolle", which is basically a giant hockey puck with one side slightly beleveled so it turns when it is rolled towards the stake at the other side of a dirt court. Like horseshoes, you aim is to get your bolle the closest to, if not leaning on, the stake. Unlike horseshoes, you roll the bolle, (instead of throw) just like you would a bowling ball, towards the stake. ... I don't understand it, but its a big deal and people from around the country and the world come to compete here. Actually, next week is the International Rolle Bolle Tournament after the Lyon County Fair in Marshall, Minnesota.

I did not get to be as participative in the BA Day festivities, as I was in Spencer, Iowa for the Center of the Nation NSIP (National Sheep Improvement Program) Seminar & Sale. This sale, unlike most sheep sales, highlighted sheep and auctioned them off based on barn records, EPD data (Expected Progeny Difference... it's complicated and I hope to clear the air in a later blog)and overall productivity vs. the typical "who looks the best contest."
The way I like to describe it is: The sheep that are able to perform outside of one day in the show ring.

Not that there is anything wrong with "showy" sheep, I just prefer the production aspect. I consigned 5 sheep from my own flock, dating back to the year 2002 when I purchased my very first ewes, to be auctioned off. I spent the week cleaning up my sheep, (just so they didn't look like they rolled out from under the manure pile), and studying up on their history so I could do my best in my "sales pitch" to prospective buyers. Of course, we had lots of lamb to indulge on for supper and for lunch! I helped the University of Wisconsin Animal Science Department with ultrasounding the rams for ribeye area. I found out that my ram lamb had the largest ribeye of any sheep there!!

After a good day in the barn amidst fellow sheep producers, it was time for the auction. I won't say how much I got (just for confidentiallity of the buyers) but I had a great day, and got what I hoped to earn! The best part is, these are my sheep for my FFA Sheep SAE.

Today, we went to church for the BA Day mass, because the majority of the town is Catholic as well. Afterwards we enjoyed a delcious meal of Belgian waffles with all of the toppings you can imagine. My waffle, if you can imagine, was coverd in a purple rainbow of blueberry, blackberry and boysenberry syrup topped with a cloud of whipped cream. ______ words can't describe the taste. My family also won certificates to the Chicken Connection, a restuarant, in the church raffle. The weekend finally culminated with a bean-bag tournament with over 52 participants and the end of a softball tournament. I worked at the bean-bag tournament selling beverages in the heat to thirsty competitors and watched my parents lose! (sorry mom and dad)

While working, I "hired' two girls: 5 & 6, to help me hand out pop and water. (They were bored, young and wanting to do something). Working with them was a lot of fun, and a good time to think back to the days when I was that old. They gave me a mouthful of information about their cats, the "105 thousands" of rabbits they own and casterating pigs. They told me,

"You're lucky you don't live on a farm!"

I told them I actually do live on a farm, and that my family raises sheep and chickens.

"The laying kind?!"

Yes!

... I now have a 6 year old in dire need of a laying hen so she can, "eat the eggs."

I'll see what I can do, but it might have to come out of her paycheck...

Once upon a dentist's chair...

2009-07-30T06:19:00.000-07:00

Just the other day, after waiting and reading an article about frozen baby elephants from the National Geographic for 25 minutes, my name was finally called. It was time for a little checkup on my chompers.

As much as I HATE the dentist, this visit was actually enjoyable because of the following conversation...

Dentist Lady - "So what have you been up to this summer ?"
Kirby - (in my head)
"... A lot of things, I have been traveling around the state and country for FFA events. It seems like I am never home. Our state FFA officer team put together conferences for the membership and has been taking time to also meet our partners. Next week is Farmfest! Whoot whoot! "
Kirby- (what I REALLY say)
"... just staying busy. "
(I don't like talking in the dentist chair, especially when they expect me you shout out full sentences when they are poking that metal scraper thing on my teeth and their hand is in my mouth)

Dentist Lady- "Ok, busy with what ?"
Kirby- " Oh, just traveling and stuff."
Dentist Lady- (she's trying hard)... "Umm, give me a specific example of one of the best things you did this summer?"
Kirby-"... How familiar are you with FFA?"
Dentist Lady - "Holy crap! I totally am. I was an FFA member from the Westbrook Walnut Grove FFA Chapter. I am such a big fan.
Kirby- "Awesome, I am serving as a state officer for Minnesota,this year, and the best thing I did was... "

And so the conversation continues. Thankfully, she just stopped trying to clean my teeth and we just talked. I discovered that Tiffany grew up on a dairy farm near Westbrook, Minnesota. (in the heart of Region VI) She shared her own experiences as far as leadership conferences she attended, her advisor and her favorite CDE: Dairy Cattle Evaluation.

Don't you just love it when you meet people, who you would least expect, that have some type of experience or connection to FFA ?

I know I do.

State Leadership Conference for Chapter Leaders 2009!

2009-07-29T07:45:00.000-07:00

*I am having some format issues, so bear with me *

For the final time this summer, FFA members from across the state gathered for a State level leadership conference. This one being: SLCCL, The Amazing Race Destination: Leadership!

As I left off my last blog, leaving the Twin Cities with Kirsten, I noted how I will never forget it.

This being because we spent over 2 hours in traffic leaving the Metro area, and within that amount of time, we traveled less than 8 miles! >:( (that is my angry face) To say the least, I was frustrated as well as the other drivers on the highway. Kirsten and I decided, after a mild disagreement, that we would leave that main highway and take a completely alternate route, adding an extra 90 miles to our trip, but we made it... 3 hours later than we expected = 7:40 pm

Phillip left the cities the exact same time as us and got to Deep Portage at 4:30. We love Phil!

Nonetheless, SLCCL was equal to, if not more fun than SGLC as over 140 FFA members came to Deep Portage Conservation Reserve with the intent of learning, having fun, meeting new people and re-establishing old friendships!

As I highlight a number of the members I met, I will also give insight as to what we did this week! Before I do that I need to give a shout out to some of my friends including:

Shantel, Emily, Molly, Cassy, Cheyenne, Wade, Jason, Jessica, Andy and Michaela ! These are da few, da proud, DA-FEET! Yes, this was, and is my small group. My fellow toes, and myself (Alpha Toe), had an awesome time getting to know each other! We took our skillz, (of course after properly being initiated into Da-Feet Family), to the v-ball court against the Carrier Pigeons. As much as we stomped, stepped on and squished those invasive pigeons, we fell short in an EPIC loss of 25-23. We were De-feated. :( The best game I ever played. Da-Feet also took their skillz to the Talent Show and shook the competition with our incredible STOMP- thanks to the creativity of Molly.

Also, a shout out goes to my roomies for the week:
Kelly, Chad, Sam, Doug, Luke and David ! Represent-> Room 504/201 !These guys were a lot of fun to get to know, hang out with and chat with even if it was 3:00 in the morning. The not so fun part, I must say, was the toilet overflowing on the last day... yeah...

NOW... here we go:

Jason from St.Charles... is one dedicated fisherman, and would do anything to retrieve his Snoopy bobber. Jason also served on the Banquet committee officer team as President, and gave the best Kirby Schmidt impression I have ever seen. He is a part of the state winning Fish and Wildlife team that will compete at Nationals this Fall! Good luck!

Liz from Martin County West ... is a fellow Region VI-er! Liz is serving as the 2009-2010 Region VI Secretary, and in her free time she is awesome and busy making hemp bracelets. (I got one)

Brett from New Ulm... reminds me a lot of myself. (I don't think that is bad) He has got ridiculous skillz on the dance floor, can spit out a beat on a dime, can eat a lot of watermelon and is just fun to be around. Brett plans to work in sports medicine, ideally for professional athletes. One word Brett = SHOES SHOES SHOES. (had to be there)

Kelsey from Owatonna ... is irreplaceable in character. There is never a dull moment when being around her. If at camp, you would most likely find her carrying around a pirates sword or kidnapping Emily Achen's clothing.

Mike from P.E.M ... know more about dairy production than I think I will ever know.Yes, Mike is a proud dairy farmer, and Region VIII officer, and to be specific, an organic producer. In the future, he wants to run his own dairy and expand his knowledge of dairy genetic improvement. AWESOME.

Alex from Forest Lake ... did an awesome job in the talent show, performing the same routine from State Convention. It was easy to agree, she was even better this time. Alex can be easily associated with Kelsey's pursuit to make Emily sing in front of everyone at SLCCL!

Blake from Detroit Lakes ... is an avid hockey player. If he is not on the ice, he is probably plunging his feet into ice as he set a record in the Toe Golf game. Not only that, but Blake and the infamous Carrier Pigeons set a SLCCL record for 20 consecutive jumps in the teamwork jump rope challenge. As seen in the picture to the right, Blake along with Brett, Eric and Greg also revived the "Jump on It" dance as seen on the Fresh Prince.

Doreen from Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted ... was not afraid to share her stories of her crazy advisor, Winnie. Doreen has been quite the traveler this past summer after flying, (in a plane, not with her arms) , to Washington DC for the Washington Leadership Conference! What an awesome experience.

Quincy from Minnewaska ... has A LOT of horses! Quincy shared with me some of his experiences including Stuebenville North (a Catholic youth conference) and Red, White & You! (sponsored by the Minnesota Farm Bureau). Quincy has one of the few, and bold to go swimming on the lake even though it was probably only 40 degrees. It was freeeeezing! Good thing, we Minnesotans can take the cold.

Kelly from Morris ... has got guts. Yep, she also joined the crew who went to the freezing depths of the lake. Thanks to Quinne and her encouragement, I went as well. Not to mention, Kelly played the most extreme game of red-rover. I'm surprised she is still in one piece after getting clothes-lined several times. She also taught me a new word to rhyme with 'powa' (power) ... it is "AGOWA" ( ah-gow-wah)hmmm... might have to look that one up.

Steve from Southland ... can do the best impression of Chelsea Berndt. He cracks me up, as well as two other SLCCL-ers, (I won't name them) but they are easily recognized by their laugh. Steve is currently serving Region VIII as an officer, was on the SLCCL Banquet committee and served as his chapter president. He has put in a lot of time helping build a Southland FFA Alumni Chapter. INCREDIBLE.

Rachel from Sauk Centre ... is the most random/funny/cool people I know. She sent me a Happy-gram which read, "If I were a Poke'mon master, I would choose you." (how did she know I love Poke'mon?) Rachel also put in a lot of time before camp helping set up and create decorations. Thank YOU! I am also proud to say that I got to be apart of the Invasive species removal team with Rachel, Bailey, Tanner, Shantel, Cheyenne, Katie, Raina and Sam just to name a few. We kicked butt on over 850 pounds of Canada thistle, Spotted Knapweed, Bull thistle and Common Rag weed.

Ryan from Staples-Motley ... is a true musician. He can play just about any string instrument you know, including the mandolin. Ryan performed in 2 groups at the talent show, one he accompanied and the other he played a solo. Both were great! He was also in the service project team of weed removal, and we ate some wild raspberries and strawberries. Shhh! (we weren't supposed to.)

Here, Da-Feet took on the Submarines in a team Saran-Wrap race! (left) I'm not sure who won, but it can be easily assumed: Da-Feet.

Have you ever had an awkward hand-shake? Well, Raina and Jason did a great job(left) demonstrating the variety of awkward hand-shakes you can have including: Dead Fish and the Lumberjack.

The Springfield FFA Chapter !

The Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter!

For the first time in HISTORY, the guys "lost" to the girls in the watermelon eating contest. Seriously, the guys never lose. We discovered in the end, Amber, the official judge, saw that the guys won, but felt bad for the girls. I also heard rumors of the girls hiring a bear to scare Amber into believing the girls won.

That's ok. They may have won the battle, but we still win the war.

A GREAT picture to end the Amazing week we had!

*A big thank you to the Deep Portage Conservation Reserve for helping MN FFA hold summer conferences for over 20 years!

* Thank you to our SLCCL sponsors: Alliance Pipeline, Ford, CHS and the Minnesota Soybean Growers! The shirts are great!!

SLCCL-ers -- What did you think about the week ? POST-IT! Let me know what your chapter is doing this summer and throughout the year so I can visit!

FFA Day @ the Dome!

2009-07-29T07:15:00.000-07:00

July 12, 2009

As much as I would like to claim that I enjoyed the FINAL Minnesota FFA Day at the Dome, I didn't. You see I, and the rest of the team, ( how ever you say that grammatically correct) , were not able to go to the game because we needed to be up at Deep Portage for SLCCL. We did get to go to the pre-game festivities including a silent auction, and a delicious meal that was, in my book, a grand slam. I can still smell that delicious pork.... mmmmmmm.

Day @ the Dome was also a great day to reunite with those I have met throughout the summer. As I was handing out some rally-rags for the game with Crystal, Kirsten, Phillip and Katie, we met fellow FFA members from New Ulm, Plainview-Elgin-Millville, New London-Spicer, Dassel-Cokato, Martin County West and Fulda to name a few. Some of which, had attended SGLC, and some wre planning on going up north to Deep Portage for SLCCL tomorrow! We also met fellow state officers from North Dakota and Wisconsin as well as FFA members from South Dakota. What a haul!

I took the time to enjoy my meal with Minnesota FFA Alumni President Greg Gosen and his son Nick. We reminisced showing livestock, FFA conferences, frustrations with rain and baling hay over an ice-cream bar.

Well, it's that time. Got to go. Kirsten and I took the light rail back to my car and made our way up to Deep Portage. A trip I will NEVER forget.

Twins win 13-7 over the White Sox !!!

Thank you so much to our outstanding support from the Minnesota FFA Alumni, Foundation, Val Aarsvold and all of our sponsors and partners!

State Greenhand Leadership Conference 2009!

2009-07-06T17:22:00.001-07:00

What: State Greenhand Leadership Conference

Where: Deep Portage, near Hackensack, MN

When: June 22-26

Who: over 147 MN FFA members ! (and numerous guests)

This was one incredible week! Members, primarily sophomores, represented the chapters all across the state. From Alden-Conger to Zumbrota-Mazeppa, over 147 members came! For many, this was their very first state ffa event, and for some their first FFA event. I had the fun of sharing the first-time-experience with all campers because I had never attended SGLC when I was in FFA because I wasn't in it! SGLC was definately a week full of firsts for me as you will read. I am glad I got to share it with this group.

As the week began, I was a little skeptical on the weather raining in on our traditional volleyball tournament. Without fail, it did rain. A LOT! Thankfully, the sun was quick to forgive the rain because it was hot, humid and clear enough to go canoeing, swimming, hiking up the tower and play sand volleyball (all of which I did !)

I did not bring my fishing pole, just to save some for those who wanted to catch some. ;) Swimming at Deep Portage is a top priority for me, so Emily and I joined Donnie from Staples in the cool water. BUT, I forgot my sandals, which is required to swim in the lake! Springfield native, Zach was awesome enough to let me wear his, and so Emily, Donnie and myself took an afternoon dip.

Before coming to SGLC, I had never gone canoeing either. So Marten and Douglas from New London-Spicer, Alex from Long Prairie-Grey Eagle and Kyle from the Martin County West FFA Chapters took me out on the water. I learned,

A. There is a front and a back to a canoe (It always just looked the same to me.)

B. There is no seat in the middle so you get very wet from the water on the bottom.

C. Dont try to lean over and catch fish
D. DO NOT TRY TO STAND UP AND TURN AROUND, AFTER ALL , YOU ARE IN A FLIMSY, HOLLOW PIECE OF PLASTIC IN WATER.

Canoeing was fun!
If I wasn't make a fool of my self on the water, I was probably eating sand on the volleyball court or flailing in the air at the rock wall.

Firstly, to clear the air on the "flailing", I was climbing the toughest wall blindfolded, and obviously if you are blidfolded, you can't see when you lose grip of the wall and you are now suspended by a rope in mid air searching for a hand hold or the wall! So for those of you who happened to appear during my triumphant moment, that's why... AND I made it! I wasn't the only one...

Matt from the Stewartville FFA Chapter and Dan from Medford FFA Chapter were like Spiderman on the rock walls. When I first made the wall summit, I told Matt and he said, "oh yeah, me too ...blindfolded."

Rock climbing was a blast, and thank you to all who were there to cheer everyone else on!

For Bob Barker (my small group, and the best), the volleyball tournament wasn't so victorious. I ate a lot of sand and while Courtney from Montevideo and Mag from the Howard Lake-Waverly-Winstead FFA Chapters saved my butt with some intense vball skillz. As much as I we would have loved to (figuratively speaking), spay and nueter the opposing team, (meaning defeat), we lost 21-10... :(

As always, here are some fun things and facts I learned about the awesome SGLC "contestants" :

Beau from the Mountain Lake FFA Chapter, is a beast on the volleyball court.(period)

Shawna from the Goodhue FFA Chapter, was one of the top Creed Speakers in the State at this past Convention. She even shared her talent with everyone at the Banquet. Congrats!

Megan from the Medford FFA Chapter, loves to take pictures and is always willing to risk boldly and try new things. (THANKS FOR THE PHOTOS !)

Travis from the Owatonna FFA Chapter, was the FIRST person to arrive at SGLC and I was honored to welcome him and carry his guitar. He also performed at the talent show and I hope to see his talent again at the State Fair on the Christensen Farms Stage!

Aryel from the Buffalo Lake-Hector FFA Chapter, is one of the most outgoing people I met at SGLC. I found out she was among the culprits of BLH at State Convention who pulled the ," you dropped your pocket/ socks are untied" joke on me whenever I walked by. Thankfully, it wasn't her. Aryel is a lot of fun to be around and I could always count on an answer from her.

William from the HLWW FFA Chapter, has waaaay to much free time considering he memorized and performed the "Element Song" as seen on You tube, at the Talent show. I probably laughed the most during his talent. props to you!

Heather from the Hayfield FFA Chapter, has similar aspirations to myself in the fact that she wants to become a large animal veterinarian! Sooooo cool.

Jacob from the Tracy Area FFA Chapter, was quite the entertainer during the Banquet Skits which simply mock and copy the state officers. His stands out the most to me, because he was me and the awesome peach christmas sweater I wore for morning news. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD Morning!

Brooke from the Zumbrota-Mazeppa FFA Chapter, loves sheep too! Even though she does not show Polypays, I can still forgive her and look forward to seeing her at the State FFA Sheep Show!

Travis from the Ulen Hiterdahl FFA Chapter , along with his camp Ag Sales team gave the most memorable and intersting sale I have ever witnessed. I still crack up thinking about it...

I distinctly remember, even before I was a state officer, when I was talking with past president Derek and past reporter Sydney. They reminded me that there will be certain times in the year when you just want to quit; you are in over your head; you are stressed; things just don't work out and you want to be done. They also reminded me that there will be times when you are on cloud nine; everything rocks; you never want the day to end.

I will admit, there was a time during SGLC when I just wanted to quit because I wasn't satisfied with how I was presenting and other things that primarily revolved around me. Even though I may have had a bad day, that isn't nearly enough to outweigh one of the best weeks I have ever had in my life. Thank you so much to each and every single member who came to SGLC. Thank you for letting me get to know you, and give true meaning and purpose of my service as a Minnesota State Officer. The people I met, friends I made, cabin chats, canoeing, watermelon feed, banquet skits, reflections, jokes, tears on the last day, games and laughter surpass anything that may have tried to make me question my service. I am proud to serve the state of Minnesota, especially knowing the outstanding members I met at SGLC .

I can confidently say that I believe in a future of agriculture due to the talent, passion, leadership that I saw present and develop with in each and every 147 Minnesota FFA members present!

I believe, because I see that you believe.

As promised, I am proud to announce the 2009-2010 Minnesota FFA Theme...

iBelieve

Ever since our organization was founded, the words ,"I Believe" have resounded because of the word power E.M Tiffany placed in the 5 paragraphs we recognize as the FFA Creed. Today, American agriculture is so different and diverse in comparision to what is was over 80 years ago, during the beginnings of the FFA, as we aspire to become tomorrow's: ag teachers, biotechnologists, veterinarians, dog breeders, natural resource officers, agronomists, engineers, florists, electricians, landscapers and politicians. FFA is not just for "farm kids" anymore. The National Organization is 500,000 members strong rooted in the belief of a future of agriculure; the belief of service and humility; and the belief in the power of leadership.

Here are some draft graphics to give you an idea of what we are thinking !

A final big thank you goes out to our 2009 SGLC sponsors : Alliance Pipeline, CHS, Northland Ford Dealers and the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association. Thank you for your support, especially for the cool T-shirts!

NLCSO 2009... Going Live !

2009-07-01T07:57:00.000-07:00

It has, for sure, been a LONG TIME since I have had the opportunity to sit down and type ! What a busy past two weeks. But, enough of my jabber, here are my thoughts on the 2009 National Leadership Conference for State Officers !

I left my house @ 2:30 and met with the gang: Mike, Katie, Emily, Crystal, Labecca and the awesome Addington family in Worthington, Minnesota to begin our adventure to Aurora, Nebraska! We arrived in Aurora at 11:00 that night, so it was a long trip, but don't worry each minute was filled with an extremely competitive game of My Cows!
... I was up to 7,607 until I was blindsighted by Emily as she yelled, "Kill Kirby's cows!"

* still contemplating our friendship...

Rest in Peace my cows.... rest in peace.

Nonetheless, the week was spent at The Leadership Center outside of Aurora. http://www.tlcaurora.org/
Nebraska is so lucky to have a facility like that with a 13ft pool, water volleyball, basketball court, ponds for paddleboats, sand volleyball courts, cabins, hotel-style rooms (we got those), and a cooking staff that still makes my mouth water. (the food, not the staff)

State Officers from Kansas, Nebraska and our western neighbors, South Dakota joined the Minnesota team. We weren't just 'there' by ourselves, we were joined by two outstanding National Officers: the Eastern Region Vice-President, Hannah Crossen and the National Secretary, Nessie Early. From my experience with the two for the week, they exceeded my expectations of what it means to be a National Officer and taught me a lot about how to be an effective team member and officer.
Here are some fun things I learned from my friends at NLCSO:

Garrett the State President from Kansas, was one of my room-mates for the week along with Zach and Mike. He qualified for the National Extemporaneous Public Speaking Contest this fall at National Convention ! It was cool to find someone else who shared my passion for speaking on the fly like Garrett and also attended the Washington Leadership Conference.

Dani from Nebraska, shares my same desire to work on an international level with agriculture and teach people new ways to raise their livestock and crops for sustainibility. ( It was a cool moment )

Chelsea from South Dakota, is the most extreme 4-wheeler/dirt-bike rider I have ever met. Her scar story definately tops the puny one on my arm.

Hannah from Ohio, was hoping for a tornado during our week. ... Her wish did come true, and we spent a good 45 mintues in a Conference Room huddled together under a table waiting and hoping and praying for the best. At first I thought it was a joke, or not too serious, so I began doign the "twist", in tribute to the twister. Then things got serious as we were told of the location and direction of the storm, towards Aurora. Covering our heads, we prayed. (This was my FAVORITE memory for the week because it showed how united we were, although from many different backgrounds, that night. Someone just started praying, and everyone joined in. Powerful.) Thankfully, we were all safe from the 1/4 mile wide tornado that ripped through a house, trees and damaged an Iams Food warehouse, but no one was hurt. :)

Sydney from Nebraska, is one of the funniest people I have met and I can't think of a better story teller than her. Sydney would like to become a medical doctor.

Amanda from Nebraska, is a beast on the basketball court. Playing a game of two-on-two with her against Garrett and Zach was to my advantage because she dominated. I can proudly say we one, but it is more like she won.

Brady the State President from South Dakota, is a genuine gentleman and a great guy. I have met few people like Brady that care so much about others, and agriculture.

Nessie from California, is short, sweet and a fan of the Cal Poly team that beat my home town college, SMSU at the NCAA Elite Eight. BOOO! . I remember her from the Minnesota State Convention and how she just sat down with my Crops Team and talked. Nessie is a great leader and example, and she is a part of the motivating force for me to asipre for more beyond state level leadership.

Zach from Kansas, is crazy fun. I honestly felt like it was "friend at first sight" because of the similarities I have with Zach and his enthusiasm. He will be competing at National Convention in the Horse Evaluation CDE, and knows a lot about H2O.

Hannah from Kansas is, just like me, a proud Roman Catholic! Watch out 2009 delegation, because she plans on having an Elephant proficiency award area opened up. Hannah is a lot of fun, and knows how to have fun.

Katie the State President from Nebraska, is a true team player. She shares my love of speech and is memorable, in my book, for her reflection on building.

The time I had this week with the Minnesota Team was definately worthwhile as we worked on finalizing workshops for the State Greenhand Leadership Conference (the next week), made vision and mission statements for or chapter visits in Region I & II, survived a tornado, killed each others cows and (Drum roll please... ) decided the theme for the 2009-2010 year!

Minnesota FFA members, I am proud to announce this years theme is...

...on the next blog!

A big thank you goes out to our NLCSO sponsors: The Monsanto Company, ADM Company, John Deere, Land O' Lakes, Wrangler and The Mosaic Company.

Special thank yous to the representatives from Monsanto and Mosaic for their presentation, and to Wrangler for their donation of a pair of pants!

Timberland Leadership Camp !

2009-06-20T10:29:00.000-07:00

Week #1 SUMMER !

What: Timberland Leadership Camp

Location: Sibley State Park: New London, MN

Date: June 1-3, 2009

What a relief it was to leave the high paced MNRER and find my way to the relaxing Sibley State Park, the traditional host of the Timberland Leadership Camp for the Marshall, Tracy and Sleepy Eye FFA Chapters. This was my second year, and it was a tough contest to tell which year was better, but I do know that I met some great FFA members and had a blast myself! I was enthusiastic to know that I would also be joined by my fellow teammates Emily, Crystal and your 2009 MN National Officer Candidate, Katie Zenk, to share the experience and help facilitate activities. This was our very FIRST time presenting and working with students since our election in April, so it was a good time to fine tune our skills and recognize where we can grow. I had the privilege to sit by campfire and listen to the beautiful voice of Kayla from the Tracy FFA Chapter, and roast some delicious marshmallows with Aileen from the Sleepy Eye Chapter. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t quite surpass the quality of Scott, the winner of the “Best Marshmallow Award”, from Sleepy Eye. The single most rewarding experience from camp was watching the openness of campers to get to know each other and create friendships and memories. Here are some awesome, random and fun things I learned from campers:

Brandon from Tracy, or as we call him ‘Schroeder’, has an art of drawing penguins!

Michael from Sleepy Eye is a speed demon in the 300 hurdles and loves gum drop towers!

Tony from Sleepy Eye aspires to become a veterinarian or a teacher. Oh yeah!

Alaina and Sam from Marshall are fearless as they dominated the Ropes Course at the Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center!

Emily from Sauk Centre gave life to the words, “Oh Yeah”, and made Kool-Aid consumption even more enjoyable.

Nate from Sleepy Eye is a dedicated runner, and even took me out for a run before 6:00 am!

Meghan from Marshall may be scared of heights, but she definitely has the guts to put on a frozen t-shirt for her team! (I could not do that …)

Crystal from Howard Lake has a singing voice that you cannot even begin to describe.

Katie from BOLD has given me advice that I will forever have on the inside of my FFA jacket.

We learned what it means to be an FFA member, took on a CDE challenge, set goals and defined our vision for life, challenged ourselves on the ‘Ropes Course’ as well as learning valuable and fun lessons in teamwork. (Thank You, Michelle, for finding the final tennis ball! ) The Banquet Officer Team did an excellent job on running a smooth banquet and handing out appropriate awards for each member present. I had the pleasure of escorting Aileen to the Banquet and she helped me discover how to cut our pork chops with a plastic spoon! After banquet, Mark, Scott and Nate got an “Extreme Make-Over: FACE EDITION” for their talent act I will never forget. What a great way to begin my service as a State Officer, with the members!

I miss everyone at camp, but I don't miss the catepillars, and can’t wait to see ya’ll again!

Your 2009-2010 Minnesota FFA State Officers are...

2009-06-19T20:38:00.000-07:00

State Sentinel: Mike Sheely, Southland FFA

State Reporter: Labecca Johnson, Winona FFA

State Treasurer: Crystal Jones, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted FFA

State Secretary: Emily Achen, Sauk Centre FFA

State Vice-President: Katie Miron, Forest Lake FFA

State President: Kirby Schmidt, Marshall FFA

We are ALL extremely humbled and excited to be elected to such
offices to represent and serve the membership of the Minnesota FFA Association!

On a personal note, aside from State Officer, the 80th Minnesota FFA Convention was a rewarding time. I am so proud of the successes of each chapter and member present at the convention through their Career Development Events, Supervised Agricultural Experiences, National Chapter Award, Servive contributions and attitude to truly "Experience the Leagacy" of Minnesota FFA and Agricultural Education.

I was honored to place 3rd as an individual and team in the Crops CDE with my home chapter of Marshall, along with Shane, Justin and Ian. We had so much fun practicing together and creating our own interesting study methods (that only we would understand) to guide us to a rewarding experience of the competition.
Thank You to the Monsanto Company for their sponsorship of our awards!

Please enjoy the awesome photography of Matt Addington from the 80th Convention at the following link:

http://mattaddington.smugmug.com/gallery/8063934_6t9MT#525316790_ZszxW

ENJOY!
... if you missed the excitement, here it is on YouTube !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7RBXLWLXFQ

Finally!

2009-06-19T20:13:00.000-07:00

Our State Officer team is officially on the web, for your access, in BLOG form!
I am incredibly excited to keep you all posted on and answer your question of,

What's going on with that FFA guy, Kirby ?

I realize that I have been to a number of events prior to this date, but don't worry because I have been taking note and reflection of my time being mindful to share!

* Note, the whole Blog thing is new, foreign language to me, so I am still fine tuning how I can work with it.*

Week #1 SUMMER !

What: AURI- Minnesota Renewable Energy Roundtable

Location: Mankato, Minnesota

Date: June 1, 2009

My very first week of summer, just the day after I graduated from Marshall Senior High School, I found myself back in gear with State Officer busyness and fun! Monday, I spent my day at the Minnesota Renewable Energy Roundtable hosted at Minnesota State University, Mankato and sponsored by AURI, (Agricultural Utilization Research Institute.)

The MN Renewable Energy Roundtable works to ensure 1) that the State of Minnesota is a recognized leader in renewable energy knowledge, application, and utilization. And 2) to create an implementation platform for moving short and long-term strategic action forward for Minnesotans and its Roundtable Partners.

It was an interesting and enlightening day as I met with those people who have interest and influence in our State’s direction of renewable energy. I was proud to be the only student present among those present! Meeting with members from the ( take a deep breath ) …Minnesota Corn Growers Association, Minnesota Valley Alfalfa Producers, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Windustry, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Minnesota Department of Commerce, MnSCU System, Russell Herder, Minnesota Conservation Corps, Coon Rapids Energy/Environment Demonstration (CREED), College Deans as well as former FFA members to summarize the diversity of those present! Mr.Sawatzke, my faithful Marshall Chapter advisor, and I broke out with a group of representatives from many of the ‘names’ listed above and discussed what we would like to see happen or change in Minnesota. Some exciting and interesting ideas were presented such as creating a “Career Pathway” designed specifically for renewable energy based jobs, like wind and solar power.

I expressed my own ideas on the promotion of renewable energy in the classroom and increased curriculum and courses for High School students. Ultimately, it would be cool to even have a wind turbine or other form of technology on campus for students to interact and learn about! Acknowledging the growing popularity and relevance of “green” collar jobs, we discussed the potential of having our very own Minnesota FFA State CDE based on Renewable Energy! Oh, and we had some delicious food too!

Thank You AURI for making this event possible !

...if you had the money to do whatever you wanted, what aspect of renewable energy would you invest in ?