Yelm FFA was given a week by the Yelm High School administration to develop an event to distribute spirit materials for a “Pink Out” breast cancer awareness football game. Through the chapter’s efforts, 368 Yelm High School students received pink face paint, hair dye or spirit materials and together created a “sea of pink” to raise breast cancer awareness among students, parents and community members. As a result of the event, the chapter recruited six new FFA members who were inspired by the cause. This chapter also conducts other activities throughout the year, such as a leadership lock in, the McKenna Elementary Science Fair and a Hop for Hunger.

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Lucy Johnson, deputy assistant secretary in charge of the U.S. Department of Education’s rural outreach, spoke at the 89th National FFA Convention and Expo.  Johnson says that although she grew up on a ranch in Texas, she was never involved with the National FFA Organization.

Johnson challenged students to continue their individual education paths’ because, according to Johnson, by year 2020, 2 of 3 new jobs will require some college education.

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Listen to this medley of familiar tunes from Journey…

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US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Education Lucy Johnson shared remarks with FFA members and guests at the 4th General Session of the 89th National FFA Convention…

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Listen to Eastern Region Vice President Sydney Snider’s retiring address, “See Hope, Be Hope.”

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Mr. Rick Fuson, President of the Bankers Life Field House, speaks with Thomas Shaw regarding the FFAs and Banker Life Field House’s partnership along with increased safety measures to ensure the future of agriculture is safe during this years convention.

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FFA has always seemed to play a part in Taylor Swinson’s life. However, the resident of Sulphur Springs, Texas, said the minute she put on the blue corduroy jacket, she knew it was a calling.

With knowledge about livestock, she soon became involved with training market show lambs and agriscience experiments. As she worked on the family’s ranch, she developed a better understanding of genetics, selection and nutrition. Her love for the sheep industry as well as for scientific method has resulted in her interest in research and experiments evolving from the sheep industry.

Swinson’s first experiment was designed to see how effective feed supplements were. She then began to research the genetic side of the sheep industry. She used her research to determine whether or not it was safe to breed her buck with four of her ewes. In addition to genetic research, she has also researched nutrition and copper toxicity in sheep.

The Clarendon College student has also researched the idea of bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics. As a result of this research, she is interested in doing more research in the meat industry and one day working in communications as an advocate for food safety and security. Swinson is the daughter of Amber and Guy Norris. She is a member of the Sulphur Springs FFA Chapter, led by advisors
J.T. Luper, John Holland and Melissa Robbins.

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For as long as she can remember, Elizabeth Renner of Crooks, S.D., has been fascinated by the critters that inhabit aquatic areas. In fact, the West Central FFA member fondly recalls exploring the fields and streams in her area and examining all of the different insects and organisms.

Renner’s first opportunity to do scientific research on aquatic organisms came through her involvement in an FFA Agriscience Fair during her freshman year. Her scientific explorations continued through high school and even included an internship with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Following her freshman year in college, she conducted research with a professor on historic plant communities to see how ecosystems changed following the arrival of European settlers. During the summer of her sophomore year, she conducted stream surveys at bridge and box culvert construction sites for the South Dakota Department of Transportation.

She followed this experience by working in a stream ecology laboratory at an Alaskan nonprofit dedicated to protecting salmon streams within the Cook Inlet watershed. Today, the Augustana University senior plans to study how climate change influences stream organisms.

She plans to earn a doctorate in aquatic ecology and conduct research on aquatic ecosystems as an environmental consultant to federal agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Environmental Protection Agency. She also feels called to educate the general public about the importance of aquatic organisms and wetlands for the health of communities. Renner is the daughter of Tim and Karin Renner. She is a member of the West Central FFA Chapter, led by advisor Linda Petersen.

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Agriculture has always been in Jordan Paine’s roots. Before she was born, both her mom and dad owned land. Her dad wanted to continue the family tradition of farming. However, as Paine grew a bit older, she convinced her parents to think about raising cattle…soon, she was in love with the industry.

Her interest in the cattle industry then led to her interest in agriscience as she saw room for yields to increase, so she decided to try to find ways to achieve that. Throughout high school, her agriscience experiments focused on increasing yields and finding additional sources of feed.

During her time in FFA, Paine focused on agriscience, beef production and agricultural education. The Oxford, Neb., resident credits FFA for changing the trajectory of her career path. While attending the World Food Prize conference, her eyes were opened to the issues agriculture faces across the globe. Her view was expanded even further when she was named a White House Champion of Change and was able to discuss others’ views on agriculture. The Purdue junior is currently studying agricultural education and political science.

While in FFA, Paine incorporated a few different projects into her agriscience supervised agricultural experience. When her local community began to experience a drought, she wanted to discover new food sources. She began working on developing a food product from honey locust beans. Using her knowledge, she researched which variety of wheat produces a higher yield, tissue culture and numerous horticultural experiences. The results of many of her plant and animal projects were then used in her beef proficiency.

Paine says that all good research begins with using past research and building upon that. She says her true research passion resides in agricultural policy, and she believes that the skills she has gained through research will help her in her future career in agricultural law. Paine is the daughter of Anne and Michael Paine. She is a member of the Southern Valley FFA Chapter, led by advisor Jon Lechtenberg.

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Growing up on a farm, Kaitlin Hallam felt like she was on a playground full of science, allowing her to explore the life process of plants and animals. She worked with her father to produce crops, raise livestock and repair all of the equipment used with these enterprises.

At the age of 6, the Spanish Fork, Utah, resident began raising and caring for hogs and sheep to take to livestock shows around the state. Eventually, she branched out to include crops, broilers and turkeys. She had to ensure she carefully selected each animal when she was showing. Through implementation of scientific research, she has been able to operate a profitable agricultural enterprise.

One of Hallam’s first research projects began when she was in ninth grade, when she began studying how she could increase the weight of newborn pigs, and from there her research continued to grow. In fact, every one of her crop and livestock projects has research studies attached to them.

While the Brigham Young University student believes research is important, she also believes it is important to give back to the community. For three years, she studied the effect of sex segregation on turkey dressing weights and feed efficiency, discovering that feed efficiency was indeed higher in segregated birds. She raised approximately 108 turkeys for the project.

Once the research was complete, she processed her turkeys at the Tremont FFA processing plant. She then organized a group of students and parents to provide 40 Thanksgiving baskets for needy families. These baskets included on of her turkeys from the research project. In addition, she also presented one of research turkeys to each of the 35 volunteers at the local volunteer fire department.

Hallam believes that through research, she can help better the agricultural field, which in turn benefits society as a whole.

Hallam is the daughter of J. Merrill and Pam Hallam. She is a member of the Spanish Fork FFA Chapter, led by advisors Nicole Draper, Chaleesa Warren, Kaylee Liddiard, Nyle Russell, Brandon Gardner and Lena Baadsgard.

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