Listen to the announcement of the 2022-23 National FFA officer team from the 2022 National Officer Nominating Committee Chairperson Julia Hamblen of the Shelbyville FFA Chapter in Shelbyville, Indiana…
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Session 9: Nominating Committee Report
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Retiring Address: Cole Baerlocher
Listen to National FFA President Cole Baerlocher share his retiring address….
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Young Farmers and Ranchers Provides Opportunities for Young Agriculturists
Sara Griswold and Kerre Clark are Committee Members of the Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee under the American Farm Bureau Federation. They speak on the importance FFA members play in the future of agriculture. The American Farm Beauru Federation is a long-time supporter of the National FFA Organization.
They share more with Broadcast Desk Intern, Laura Wuebker.
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Zane Hagemeyer of Ohio Named American Star Farmer Finalist
Many Americans love a good steak, and Zane Hagemeyer is no exception. “You can’t beat a good steak,” Hagemeyer said.
He is much more involved in the creation of steaks than your average American, though. As a member of Elmwood FFA in Ohio, Hagemeyer has been running a successful supervised agricultural experience (SAE) raising beef cattle since 2018.
“I was already feeding cattle when I got into high school, and so I just made that my project for FFA as my SAE,” he said.
Hagemeyer specializes in backgrounding — the intermediate stage between weaning calves and sending cattle to a feedlot. He started his SAE backgrounding 11 calves, and now he’s responsible for more than 350 head of cattle just a few years later.
After his cattle are finished backgrounding, Hagemeyer sells them to feedlots and finishers so they can eventually be processed into food. Naturally, Hagemeyer said his favorite breed of cattle is “anything that’s not dairy.”
He doesn’t work alone, though. The Hagemeyers are a farming family, and Zane said his parents have been a tremendous help for his operation.
“There’s a lot of work that gets done when you’re doing stuff like this,” Hagemeyer said. “They just help me out wherever they’re needed.”
He became a full-time farmer after graduating from high school, and has no plans to change that. Besides the cattle, Hagemeyer said he’s also spending a lot of time building new barns.
“I’m putting up cattle barns, trying to grow the operation,” Hagemeyer said. “I put one up last summer, and this summer, I put an addition on it. … I’ve got another one I want put up by the end of the year, but we’ll see how that works out.”
For FFA members interested in starting their own SAE project, Hagemeyer’s best advice is simple: don’t delay. “If you’re passionate about something, just do it, because you’re going to thank yourself later,” he said.
As for Hagemeyer, is he thanking himself later?“That depends on the day,” he said.
He shares more with Broadcast Desk Intern, Laura Wuebker.
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Ryan Squires of Iowa Wins Middle School National Agriscience Fair- Environmental Services
As a current freshman in high school, Ryan Squires of the North Scott FFA Chapter in Iowa has completed more complex research than many adults. His most recent project conducted during middle school focuses on the effects of rock types on carbon mineralization.
Ryan shares the details of his project and how he found his place in FFA with Broadcast Desk Intern, Lydia Johnson.
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Terrance Clayton of Alabama Named American Star in Agribusiness Finalist
Broken ag equipment can be a nightmare to deal with for even the most experienced farmers, but stalled engines, jammed lawnmowers and busted tractors allow people like Terrance Crayton make a living.
“Anything with a four-stroke engine is what I specialize in,” Crayton said.
When he joined the Wetumpka FFA chapter in Alabama, Crayton was already working on the project that would become his supervised agricultural experience (SAE): agricultural mechanics, repair and maintenance. He said it’s a family business — his father, grandfather, uncles and cousins are all mechanics of some kind. “Initially, I was working with my grandfather,” said Crayton. “I would help him fix equipment and whatnot, and eventually [he] retired, so all of his customers came to me.”
Crayton now runs a small business repairing lawnmowers, tractors and more. As a bonus, he also intentionally purchases broken ag equipment so he can fix it for resale. “I would get it, repair it, and I would turn around and resell it … and make profit, and re-invest into my business,” Crayton said.He especially loves working on push mowers because “there’s really not a lot that goes wrong with them,” so it’s easy to find the problem and fix it, he said.
While his family taught him everything he knows about fixing engines, Crayton said his SAE never would’ve gotten off the ground without his agriculture teachers. Terrance actually plans to become an ag teacher himself someday, and that’s why he’s majoring in agriscience education at Auburn University with plans for a master’s degree.“My SAE has allowed me to essentially pay my way through college,” he said. “I work full time, but I’ve used it to pay for books, new computers and other random stuff.”
Although education is his true passion, he said he has no plans to stop working as a mechanic on the side.“Ag teachers don’t make a lot of money, so we’ve got to have our side gig,” Crayton said. “I think it’s a perfect one.”
Terrance said his best advice for FFA members working on their own SAE is to keep an open mind.“I listened to my ag teacher, and I listened to those that had done it before me,” said Crayton. “It allowed me to get … where I’m at today.”
He shares more with Broadcast Desk Intern, Laura Wuebker.
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The Most Important Word: National Convention Workshops Provide Lessons for Members
Past state officers, Grant Norfleet from Missouri and Hope Showalter from Virginia, are serving as workshop facilitators at the 95th National FFA Convention and Expo. They share about their workshop topic, The Most Important Word, and dive into the skills they hope students can take away from programming throughout convention.
Broadcast Desk Intern, Lydia Johnson, has the full story.
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Marin Lonnee of Georgia Named 2022 Star in Agriscience
Sustainable agriculture is a part of the agriculture industry that’s rapidly growing in size and importance, and Marin Lonnee has been working to make a difference in this field since elementary school. Lonnee started participating in science fairs when she was a fourth grader, and she said it was her agriculture teacher who encouraged her to take things to the next level a few years later. “The state of Georgia does require students who are in … FFA classes to have a supervised agricultural experience (SAE) project,” Lonnee said. “I was notified by the ag teacher at the time that I could use my agriscience project that I was already presenting at other events as a sixth grader, and so it kind of just built from that. And I was just lucky to have that mentor in my life to tell me that at the time.”
Lonnee, now a member of Oconee County FFA in Georgia, has an SAE focused on multiple areas of research, all generally unified under the banner of sustainability.
“It’s not just plant science and it’s not just animal science,” she said. “All my projects focus on … agriculturally dependent communities and developing them so that they are more productive and sustainable.” These projects include research into bee pollination, hydroponics, plant pathology, plant breeding and even structural development. Despite her years of experiments, Lonnee said what she’s actually most proud of are the connections she’s made with other people in her field. Marin credited her love for community-focused agriculture to the unconventional, ag-focused curriculum of her third-grade teacher, Diane Parr. “We did a lot of growing our own produce that got donated to soup kitchens locally,” Lonnee said. “She made it very community-oriented.”
Lonnee received an undergraduate degree in only three years, and now she’s looking to earn a master’s degree in forage research so she can continue doing what she loves.
“I have never worked in what people would call a normal job,” she said. “I have always worked in a lab, and it’s opened so many doors.”
Lonnee’s advice for FFA members starting their own SAE is twofold: find something that interests you and remember that agriculture is more than just farming.
“Don’t let someone tell you it’s not related to ag because you’re not directly working with cows [or] corn,” she said.
She shares more with Broadcast Desk Intern, Laura Wuebker.
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Jacob Wuebker of Ohio Named 2022 Star in Agricultural Placement
Plants and animals, flora and fauna, crops and livestock — whatever you call them, they’re the core of agriculture. Some farmers may choose to specialize in one or the other, but people like Jacob Wuebker manage both just fine. “My [SAE] is working on my family’s diversified grain and livestock farm,” Wuebker said. “Row crops consist of corn,
soybeans, wheat, and alfalfa. We have 2,000 sows, 300 head of dairy steers, and we finish out about 3,000 head of pigs at a time.”
Wuebker, a member of Versailles FFA in Ohio, said his family farm is a “pretty decent size” in order to accommodate all the plants and animals they cultivate. Around 1,200 acres are used for the crops alone. Jacob said he appreciates all the work his family has done to help make his supervised agricultural experience (SAE) a success, and not just because he works on the family farm. “My mom’s actually my ag teacher,” Wuebker said, referring to chapter advisor Dena Wuebker. “Definitely a big thanks to her…whenever you live on a farm and your mom’s your ag teacher, agriculture kind of consumes your whole life.”
After he recently graduated from Wright State University — Lake Campus with a degree in agribusiness, Jacob became a full-time farmer for his family’s operation, and he said he has no plans to stop. “I love what I do,” Wuebker said. “That’s for sure.”
Jacob added that farming gives him a sense of purpose — and that helps him through even the most grueling days of work. “What I'm most proud of is getting to feed the world and knowing that what I do every day has a purpose,” Wuebker said. For FFA members who want to start their own SAE, he said passion and purpose are critical to your success.
“Don’t ever let anyone discourage you from doing something you love,” Wuebker said. “Whenever you find your passion, you are able to dedicate your life to something greater than you.”
He shares more with Broadcast Desk Intern, Laura Wuebker
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Abigail Porter Named 2022 National Proficiency Winner in Veterinary Science – Entrepreneurship/Placement
Abigail Porter of the Beloit FFA Chapter in Kansas has had the goal of becoming a veterinarian since she was four years old. To reach this goal, she started volunteering at a local vet hospital at age 11. In the ensuing years, she has learned to tend to client needs, run the computer system, maintain the vet clinic, and communicate with coworkers about scheduling. Porter can also balance feed rations, assist in surgeries, administer medications and operate equipment. Porter is supported by her parents, Angela and Stuart.
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