National FFA Organization - National Officers' Blog

Hello Friends!!

Oh WISCONSIN!! What an incredible trip, complete with dairies, cheese, ice cream and little bit colder weather than that Texas heat. A special thank you to the Wisconsin FFA state officer team Alicia, Amy, Whitney, Noah, Anna, Ethan, Sam, Samantha, Cory, Julie and Laura for making last week an experience I will never forget!
Our first trip of the week started off with visits to Renk Seed and Landmark Co-op where I was able to learn more about what Wisconsin agriculture looks like. Followed with an awesome lunch, we were able to set out for our first Sectional Leadership Workshop of the week at Belleville High School. I must admit, I was pretty jazzed because my home chapter is Bellville, TX :) After meeting and working with some outstanding members, the spirit stick was awarded and we all got to enjoy some Subway sandwiches with Belleville FFA officers. That night I had the privilege of staying at a REAL dairy with the Brown family complete with a tour and all!
Tuesday morning we were in for a real treat as we were able to attend the World Dairy Expo in Madison, WI. I was able to present two leadership workshops as well as be a part of two radio interviews, but that can’t hold a candle to how much I learned about the dairy industry that day! Dairy cattle were brought in from all over and shown for their qualities. There were cheese exhibits and tons of FFA members to meet! After a fun filled day we also had the opportunity to receive some key messaging training from Andrea Bloom, a past Wisconsin state officer, on how to portray our messages on agriculture. I found it extremely informative, interactive and an awesome time as we worked on the best ways to convey agriculture! To top of a fun filled day we were able to wind down with team time by having a hot fire and some s’mores out at Noah’s house in Lake Mills.
Wednesday was just as fun-filled as we were able to tour Tyson Meats in Jefferson. Some of our group was able to take a tour of the facilities and we learned that most pepperonis that come on your frozen pizzas are made in that plant. This was then followed by a tour of United Cooperative in Beaver Dam and we quickly found ourselves headed to the second SLW of the week at Lake Mills High School! Just like earlier the theme was “setting up camp” as the state officers presented a skit followed by workshops for all the members in attendance. We had a great turnout and crowd as I loved getting to know all the members in Section 10!
When Thursday came around there was a very bittersweet feeling in the air. It was the last SLW for the state officer team and my last workshop as a national officer and honestly I could not have been more blessed to end in Wisconsin. Our morning started with a tour of Scoops Ice Cream where we watching how they mix the ice cream, followed by a tour of Stoelting/Polarware which is the company that makes the slushee and soft serve machines. With a morning like that, it could only mean that I had TWO ice cream cones before noon and it wasn’t even for lunch! How exciting! After learning so much on the tours we were greeted at Kiel High school for our last SLW. We couldn’t have asked for it go any better as we saw Section 9 FFA members in action, quite a talented group! The Kiel FFA was to kind as they hosted dinner for us and took care of us the entire evening. Thank you Kiel, y’all rock!
To all the Wisconsin FFA members and state officers, thank you for the experience of a lifetime! I loved getting to know each of you and see the remarkable group that you are! Keep being amazing and thank you for a wonderful end to my national officer year. Be Blessed!