FFA Members Travel to National Convention
By Kinley Hilkemann
Pierce FFA members traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana, for the National FFA Convention and Expo to explore agriculture, learn about careers, and celebrate member achievements.
Members attended the opening session and explored the convention expo. Kale Brester, McKenna Deiterman, William Korth, Cole Snodgrass, and Cayden Unseld represented Pierce FFA at the convention. Students from Randolph, Battle Creek, Creighton, and Emerson-Hubbard also attended the trip.
The group toured a solar farm at the University of Illinois and Prairieview Angus Farm to learn about renewable energy and cattle production. Pierce FFA advisor, Matt Neal, explained the educational value of the trip, saying, “The opportunities in the ag industry and just the different leadership qualities that they should be able to gain from it.”
During the solar farm tour, students asked questions about renewable energy and its effects on the environment.
“There were some really good questions about how solar farms impact the use of the land and how they impact other natural resources like wildlife and stuff like that,” Neal said.
At Prairieview Angus Farm, students connected classroom lessons to real agricultural practices.
“A lot of the terminology that we've had on the board she utilized and kind of showed it in action. So that was really beneficial,” Neal, the advisor, said.
Snodgrass, a junior, said one of his favorite parts of the convention was meeting new people.
“I kind of say probably like meeting a bunch of new people, like talking to people,” Snodgrass said.
Snodgrass also discussed learning about the cattle operation during the tours.
“It just seemed like they had like their stuff together, and they actually knew how to like show us how they do things around there and how their operation goes,” Snodgrass said.
Also a junior, Brester said he enjoyed seeing the different cattle at Prairieview Angus Farm.
“I like all the yards they had of different cows,” Brester said.
Members also went bowling and played laser tag. One memorable moment occurred when the group got stuck in an elevator.
A highlight of the trip was when Weston and Wyatt Stemick received their American FFA Degrees, the highest degree awarded by the National FFA Organization.
The trip gave members opportunities to learn about agriculture, explore career possibilities, develop leadership skills, celebrate achievements, and make memories together.
