For many FFA members, their supervised agricultural experience (SAE) begins in freshman or sophomore year of high school. Adam Eichacker of the McCook Central FFA chapter in Salem, South Dakota, credits the beginning of his SAE when his grandfather bought him a show heifer when he was 11 years old.

Over the years, Adam explored different avenues of agriculture, including raising hogs and land rolling. Now, his SAE consists of about 25 head of cattle and 82 acres of crop ground, which he uses to grow soybeans and corn.

“I’d have to give the beef herd side of things credit to my grandfather for buying me my first heifer and just really grown with it for the American Simmental Association,” Adam said. “Then the crop side of things, I just had an opportunity come up there a few years ago to take over a piece of ground, and not many kids are able to do that, where they have an opportunity to hop into agriculture, but that’s how I got started.”

Having the opportunity to try different agricultural activities, Adam said he is captivated with agriculture because it is an opportunity that many people don’t have.

“It’s not until I get to where I’m at now and nearing the end of my FFA career that I’ve really started to appreciate the opportunities that I’ve been given,” Adam said.

Adam said persistence is a tool he has picked up from FFA. Enduring through the tough days in the business—such as feeding cattle in the harsh South Dakota winter, braving below zero temperatures—make the great days better.

Adam is about to graduate from South Dakota State University with a degree in ag science. He intends on returning to the family farm.

“I guess it’s always been a sentimental, lifelong goal is just to work alongside my father; he’s a guy I give a tremendous amount of respect to and tip my hat to him,” Adam said. “I’d really like to partake in what I can on the family farm after college.”

He is the son of Cathy and Steve Eichacker and his FFA advisors are Terry Reickman and Tracy Chase.

Listen to his interview with Hannah Borg below.

Hannah Borg is a senior at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln studying Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Communications. An alumna of the Allen FFA Chapter in Nebraska, she is serving as a radio report for the 91st National FFA Convention & Expo Newsroom Crew.

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Through his agribusiness SAE, Aaron Deunk of the Norris FFA Chapter said he is getting closer to his dream of being a farmer, a vision he has held since childhood growing up with on the family farm in Nebraska.

“I just used FFA and used other things to be able to start this business and things like this that just allow me to actually put myself in position to achieve my goal of farming,” Aaron said.

His business is D&D Custom Applications, LLC. The service Aaron provides is custom applying dry fertilizer with anhydrous ammonia, doing both fertilizer applications in one pass.

“The main thing was I found a niche market for it because it hadn’t been done in our area,” Aaron said. “It’s just working through the local co-ops and farmers, and then the co-op takes care of all the fertilizer … then I just apply it.”

Aaron said the dual application on fields allows farmers to use a little less chemical in the process, and he has seen his clients’ crop yields increase.

His clientele has grown over the years; Aaron started working for his father and some neighbors, and now he works with several co-ops to provide his fertilizing services.

Aaron said his high school ag classes taught him basic management skills, plus FFA brought him the opportunity to make purposeful connections.

“[FFA] just taught me to reach out and talk to the other area businesses, and just really connect with agronomists, seed salesmen and co-ops around, and the networking part of FFA—nothing else can really do that,” he said.

As a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Aaron intends on finishing his agribusiness degree and continuing his work with D&D Custom Applications.

“I hope to maintain the amount that I’m doing and not necessarily get too out of control … but more just focused on being efficient and doing a good job at what I’m doing.”

He is the son of Ruby and Randy Deunk. His FFA advisors are Kristyn Jones and Colin Kubik.

Listen to his interview with Hannah Borg below.

Hannah Borg is a senior at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln studying Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Communications. An alumna of the Allen FFA Chapter in Nebraska, she is serving as a radio report for the 91st National FFA Convention & Expo Newsroom Crew.

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Agriculture is a way of life for Gracie Danner of the West Liberty FFA Chapter in West Liberty, Iowa; she grew up on her family’s farm, where she saw an opportunity for a placement supervised agricultural experience (SAE) when they set out to grow their beef herd.

At Danner Farms, Gracie helps make breeding decisions, purchasing animals and deciding semen purchases for the thirty head of cattle in the operation. While overseeing the herd’s management, she has started working with other parts of the operation.

“I’ve also been working on developing our rations and transitioning that role from being a consultant to more being the one that decides what goes into every ration and overall herd management,” Gracie said. “I moved into the marketing and sales side of our herd as well.”

In 2014, she also practiced her marketing skills as a beef marketing assistant for Lehman Show Cattle.

As her role in her placement SAE has grown alongside her family’s beef operation, Gracie also said FFA opened her up to agriculture in a broader sense.

“Getting more interested and seeing the global-ness of the agricultural industry and the different ways my career could go is what FFA showed me, leading me to pursue a degree in agricultural economics at Kansas State [University] and having that larger perspective of ag.”

Gracie said both the science and career development aspects of FFA piqued her interest, and those experiences have helped her in her roles in sales and marketing and working directly with her family’s herd. In this junction of production agriculture and sales is where Gracie sees herself in her future career.

“My ultimate career aspirations would to be involved on the policy and trade end of agriculture,” she said. “I’ve learned the production side of agriculture through my SAE and gotten exposed to how trade and policy affects producers.”

Her parents are Stefanie Arnaman and Billie Danner. Her FFA advisor is Zachary Morris.

Listen to Bronson Teichert’s conversation with Gracie.

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As a student intrigued by science—her favorite school subject—Adrienne Blakey found an interest in plant genetics as a student in the Stillwater FFA Chapter in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Though she participated in a beef placement supervised agricultural experience (SAE) in high school, Adrienne gave speeches on plant breeding through FFA.

Adrienne saw an opportunity to engage in research when she entered the Freshman Research Scholars program at Oklahoma State University. Through the program, she connected with a faculty mentor and began research on wheat gluten.

“It was so easy to become passionate about, because gluten is something that we’re seeing so often in health conversations today, in families near and far, including my own,” she said. “It kind of also touches that home base for me as well … having a mom who is allergic to gluten.”

Adrienne’s research centers around identifying if gluten proteins have changed in a way that affects human diets.

“If there is a reason for them to be concerned based on the breeding advancements that we’ve made over the last century, then we need to do what it takes to make that correct,” Adrienne said. “It’s important that the food that we’re providing to people is as genuine and … good as we possibly can make it.”

For younger FFA members interested in science and research, Adrienne said her advice is to ask questions about the environment, how technology is advancing, and how consumers react to information that researchers relay to the public.

Adrienne said she hopes to continue researching in her future career but also wants to help communicate research findings to consumers effectively.

“That’s our job as agriculturists,” she said. “What this research allows me to do is not only be someone who’s speaking up for the ag industry, but also being someone who has experienced things with the actual science that goes on behind it.”

Blakey is the daughter of Bo and Holley Blakey and her FFA advisors are Robby Branscum and Carl Nipper.

Interview by Corryn La Rue

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For Ben Curtin of the Taylorville FFA Chapter in Illinois, a crossroads of art and agriculture exists in his metalworking business. He started his supervised agricultural experience and business, Curtin’s Creations, during his sophomore year of high school after some encouragement from his ag teacher.

“My ag teacher approached me, and he said, ‘Why don’t you do a metal fabrication shop which specializes in building products for around the farm?’” Ben said. “I also liked building industrial furniture, so he approached me and also said, ‘Well, why don’t you offer that as well?’”

Ben struck a deal with a local mechanic to buy old engines, building bar stools and other home décor items out of the engine metal. Then, after starting his education at Purdue University, Ben was able to expand his metalworking expertise by using two computer numerical control (CNC) machines: a plasma cutter and a wood router.

Through Curtin’s Creations, Ben has made agricultural and home products such as farm/ranch signs, universal mounting plates for skid steer equipment and tractor grapples.

Ben credits his FFA and ag ed experience for some of the skills he uses in his business. He said FFA helped him understand the marketing side of his operation, plus ag mechanics classes improved his proficiency with technology.

“This SAE has given me a platform,” Ben said. “Just going into it I had a rudimentary basic understanding of metalworking, but through this SAE, it has helped me gain the technical understanding of metalworking and the CNC machines, getting that understanding.”

Ben’s future in agriculture centers around agricultural mechanics and advancements in agricultural technology.

“The ultimate goal is to … go out, strike out on my own as an entrepreneur and develop an innovative and groundbreaking ag product that revolutionizes the industry,” Ben said.

His parents are Susan and Steve Curtin. His FFA advisors are Sue Schafer, Katie King and Elise Hackett.

Listen to Bronson Teichert’s conversation with Ben.

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Each year at the National FFA Convention & Expo, five awards are given to outstanding chapters across the nation. These chapters are recognized for exhibiting excellence in categories such as growing leaders, building communities, and strengthening agriculture. By providing educational experiences for members, the chapters have learned important life skills.

Premier Chapter: Growing Leaders Winner—Hope FFA of Indiana

After recognizing a rise in suicides, Hope FFA was determined to create a cultural change. The chapter began a campaign titled “Go Live Yourself.”

Members collaborated with their school administration to hold a convocation encouraging students to be better friends, partners and leaders. They also taught peers coping strategies and how to help others, as well as themselves.

Hope FFA encourages everyone to find peace and help one another.

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For 75 years, Deere & Company has partnered with the National FFA Organization. To celebrate the partnership, Deere & Company donated an additional $75,000 to the Living to Serve platform and packed a green time capsule to unpack in another 75 years.

Learn about the history and future of the partnership. Hear comments from Deere & Company Chairman and CEO Sam Allen, National FFA Organization President Mark Poeschl, National FFA Foundation President Molly Ball and Delphi FFA Chapter President Bryant Mays.

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One of the ten activities planned and presented by the Marshall FFA Chapter was called ‘Swamp to Save.” A conservation class worked with professionals at local conservation to conduct avian flu tests on ducks.

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“It really helped me with public speaking and how to grow my chapter through activities.”

-Michael Howard, West Jackson Chapter

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The Goreville FFA Chapter in Illinois, represented by Hallie Grenfell, was awarded the Premier Chapter – Building Communities award. Grenfell discusses her chapter’s community projects, including a book written by the chapter dedicated to veterans and their stories.

Listen to the interview to hear more about Goreville FFA.

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