Katie Cauthen's FFA Week

FFA Week is one of the most meaningful times as an FFA member. It is a week when we as an organization come together to prove the importance of agriculture in some of the most original and wackiest ways possible. A week of pure fun!

            For us ladies on the team, our FFA week began at Grange Youth Leadership Conference at Camp Caraway. There, we spent the weekend with some great youth doing different activities and sharing lessons on leadership and teamwork.

            After a day full of class on Monday (I guess we have to learn sometime), I was stoked for an early morning at Hobbton High School on Tuesday. There, an alumni chapter was officially chartered to provide essential and much needed support to their chapter! The members had the cafeteria beautifully decorated with FFA memorabilia and prepared an amazing country breakfast for the chapter, advisors, and guests. 

           After fellowship and a full stomach, the team split and Beverly and I made our way towards Southern Wayne High. With an hour or two to spare, we decided to make our rounds in the small town of Mount Olive. There’s always a Wal-Mart in sight, and so we stocked up on workshop supplies. After grabbing lunch, we visited Mount Olive College, the local Piggly Wiggly, and the Mount Olive Pickle Plant...we were definitely not your typical tourists in our official dress!

            Touring aside, we moved on to Southern Wayne. We spent a few minutes seeing what the students were working on in the shop before beginning our workshop. All of our activities from the saran wrap group obstacle course, to having to tie a string in a knot as a team, aimed to emphasize the power of leadership and teamwork.
            From Southern Wayne, we moved on to Triton High for the HarLee Federation Leadership Conference. Beverly and I chose the theme of “In Your Heart” for our workshop, and had a great time writing thank you notes alongside the members. We certainly had a lot of people to thank after all these amazing visits, not to mention two of the boys from Triton. They pledged that if at least 50 members came to the event, they would shave their heads...you can tell by the photo that the turnout was successful. What devotion to the FFA!

           A busy Tuesday over, Beverly, Caroline, and I traveled to West Montgomery for a full day of activities on Wednesday. We wanted to give the kids a little taste of FFA opportunities and the value of teamwork. We saw their pigs and goats, did some pretty awesome egg drops, and completed word scrambles. After a great day spent with all three of their classes, we grabbed some pizza and homemade cupcakes before heading back to Raleigh.

            My FFA week activities ended with possibly one of the most fulfilling activities state officers get to participate in. On Friday, Hannah, Beverly, Alyssa and I joined Mr. Davis on the long trek to Columbia High and Middle School. There, we not only got a chance to see the awesome new welding booths and greenhouse, but we also got to spend some time with members sharing ideas and opportunities within the FFA. As soon as we arrived, we got all of the middle school members together to sign their official charter. At the end of the day, we did the same with the high school members. It seems like something so simple, and happens so quickly, but the chartering of an FFA chapter means that others value agriculture and leadership, and wish to pass it on to future generations.
          This is what FFA week is all about. Yes, it’s a good excuse to dress crazy or drive a muddy truck or tractor to school, but it is also an amazing opportunity to advocate for FFA. More than half a million members all across the country, all sharing their stories and building memories for a lifetime, all in one week...pretty amazing, huh?!

John Stewart's FFA Week Adventures

It could be one of the most exciting parts of being an FFA Member, but it is especially exciting for State FFA Officers.  National FFA Week, a time to celebrate all this great organization stands for and represents!  FFA Week is filled with tons of activities by chapters who are excited about sharing our message, and representing our organization so well!

I began this FFA Week in Coats, North Carolina with the Triton FFA Chapter at the Coats Lions Club annual meeting!  This meeting is steeped in history with State FFA Officers and with Mr. M.O. Philips, an instrumental part of agricultural education in North Carolina.  Caroline and I had a chance to visit with the Triton FFA Chapter as well as give an FFA Update and share our message with the Lions Club!

Tuesday began bright and early as Hannah, Caroline and I made our way to the Hobbton FFA Chapter for their FFA Week Teacher appreciation breakfast!  It was great seeing so many FFA Members out early to thank their teachers for all of the hard work they do in and out of the classroom.  We then made our way to the Harrells FFA Chapter for an exciting day of leadership, teamwork and FFA opportunities! We had so much fun, between minute to win it games at their chapter meeting, or the egg toss game during their agricultural business class!  Just when you thought Tuesday was getting slightly busy, we then continued our adventure to the Union FFA Chapter, where we had an evening full of FFA, activities, games, workshops and of course BBQ.

Wednesday night, Hannah, Alyssa and I drove to the Mountains of Madison County! Not only did we have opportunity to stay with Alyssa’s Grandmother, I got to drive down “Lonesome Mountain Road”!!  Imagine the most winding, twisting, curvy road and then some, in the dark, in the fog, in the rain! After surviving (literally) we got a goodnight’s sleep so we were well rested for a busy day on Thursday!  Imagine the most exciting morning with an outstanding group of FFA members, and you know exactly what happened at Madison High School, it was a day filled with saran wrap, toxic rivers and human shoestrings.  As if that wasn’t enough, we then went to Charles D. Owen High School for their FFA Week Luncheon, and even got to join the students for some FFA leadership workshops!  From Human Tables, to hotdogs to State Representatives, C.D. Owen has it all. We had a great time and met some remarkable FFA members with great passion and ideas. 

Friday, Caroline and I travelled to her stomping grounds of Rosewood, to visit the Rosewood FFA Chapter!  We had the opportunity to share all about our journey to China, as well as participate in the most intense relay race of my life!  As if this wasn’t enough, on Saturday, Caroline and I travelled to the J.F. Webb FFA Chapter for their first annual FFA Cornhole Tournament! It was a day filled with meeting fantastic people and even getting to compete and put our own cornhole skills to the test.  While Caroline and I didn’t win the cornhole tournament, we had a BLAST and met some great friends along the way!

          FFA Week 2012 will certainly be a week I remember for the rest of my life! It is filled with so many great memories and friendships that will last a lifetime!  I am so proud to be from North Carolina and to represent the best FFA Association with the best FFA members in the country! Thank you for all of your hard work this FFA Week and for your commitment to this organization!

State Dairy Judging

From rainy days to cold nights, it did not stop the 2011 Dairy Judging participants from coming out and having an amazing time at the Rowan County Fair Grounds. As Beverly, Alyssa and I loaded up in “The Tank”, aka Beverly’s truck, Wednesday afternoon to head to the fair grounds we where on the look out for activity buses filled with excited FFA members. We passed the West Carteret and Johnston county buses, smiled and waved as we went by them! As always, we had to do a traditional Wal-Mart stop and found Hobbton wondering around the parking lot waiting to get on the bus.  Finally, we made it to the fair grounds with a warm welcome by FFA members and enjoyed a great meal provided by the West and South Rowan FFA chapters… baked beans, slaw, pork chop sandwich, chips, sweet tea and some amazing banana pudding! After the meal FFA members were divided up by chapters to go and run through the events so that the students would know and understand the rules for the next day’s competition. As the rain continued and the tornado warning was no longer in affect it was time to call it a night. The FFA members went back to their hotels, cows where loaded up on their trailers, and the state officers, Cory Wade and Mr. Davis were on the way to Beverly’s farm. Beverly and I in the Tank, and Cory, Mr. Davis and Alyssa in the struggle van, what could go wrong? This, the struggle van could not make it to the farm due to the road’s flooding. So now it was time to get some sleep for the next days events.

Bright and early Thursday morning it was time to get things started on the Rowan County fair grounds. Every one was divided up in A, B, C and D and the event started. As they competed in the cold and rainy weather they had to opportunity to have a snack brake with milk and an Apple Ugly, known to be a great snack in Rowan County. The competition continued with people giving oral reasons, tests and placing the dairy cows. As the day ended, it was good to see familiar faces and also meet new people. I had a great time talking, laughing and getting to know all the FFA members there at this event! We had an amazing time and cannot wait to see y'all at the next few events!!!!!!!

-Hannah Russell       

FFA Day at the North Carolina State Fair

The fresh morning air smelled marvelous as I pulled up to the office. This was the day. It had finally come, and I was super stoked. Yea, that’s right, the North Carolina State Fair was in town, and we were officially opening the fair on this Friday, October 14^th. We piled into the State van and made our way to the fair grounds. As we got out and entered the gate, the fragrance of fried food and agriculture filled my nose. Yep, it was definitely the State Fair. We opened the fair with FFA day and a few comments from Commissioner Troxler and our keynote speaker Mike Hall. After that we all made our way down to Heritage Circle for the anticipated ribbon cutting. My teammates and I gathered at the front of the stage for the ceremony, and as the Commissioner proclaimed the opening of the 144^th North Carolina State Fair we cut the ceremonial ribbon.

I was gripped with a sense of awe as I stood there surrounded by so many inspirational people that not only impact agriculture, but help make the North Carolina State Fair possible. I couldn’t help but smile knowing that I had been a part of something so special and memorable. We kept part of the ribbon as a token to remember the ceremony, and it will forever be something we treasurer. 

With the ribbon cutting over it was time to have a little fun. The other officers and I set out to learn to tie tobacco, just like our grandparents would. This was probably my favorite part. I felt a sense of pride in tying tobacco. There was feeling of connection to my past and heritage and it was awesome to experience part of my culture and see how agriculture was half a century ago. We enjoyed learning about the process and getting to experience it firsthand.

Then it was off to the Jim Graham building and the Livestock Hall of Fame where we enjoyed a delicious lunch with the commissioner and other special guests. We also visited with some of the 4-H state officers as well as some Grange members. It was great to see all the FFA members walking around brimming with excitement for the opening day of the fair.

State Vice President, Caroline Tart

FFA, A Family

As we’ve said time and time again, in FFA, we are a family. It doesn’t matter where you come from, the experiences you have had, or what you plan to do in the future, FFA creates a lasting bond in all of its members.

            In every family there are ups and downs, and currently in North Carolina FFA, one of our own is struggling. Beverly, Hannah, and I had the the privilege to attend an event in support of Tasha Morris, past state FFA president in 2002-2003. Tasha is currently undergoing treatments for cancer, and as her condition continues to unfold, the expenses associated with her medical procedures are rising. However, through the love and generosity of individuals at the South Rowan alumni fall social, some of those expenses can now be taken care of.

            The expenses, of course, are the least of her family’s worries. Though Tasha is physically ill, her spirit is still just as positive as ever before. Her father shared stories with us about the uplifting things she has said before undergoing procedures. Her faith in God is amazingly strong, and her attitude on life is something that we can all learn from. She is a true inspiration!   

-Katie Cauthen

National Convention Through the Eyes of John Stewart

“I Believe” not only was it the theme for this year’s National FFA Convention, but it will be our theme throughout the upcoming year!  It is one of the most exciting times during State Office, traveling with nine Delegates and the other State Officers to Indianapolis!  You could feel the excitement start to build as soon as the plane landed.  We arrived on Monday and we knew that we had less than one full week to take it all in, and leave North Carolina FFA’s Mark on those streets.

This year was especially exciting for me, not only did I get to serve as a Delegate, but I also got the opportunity to compete in the National FFA Extemporaneous Career Development Event!  Months of hard work and preparation was finally going to pay off!  The excitement was almost too much to contain, not only were we making decisions that will shape the future of the FFA, we also interacted with other FFA Members from across the United States.   Then, Wednesday came, the time was 7:30 A.M. and the location was Ballroom 4 of the Westin Hotel.  I knew what had to be done, but you never can get all of the nervousness out of your system.  They called my name, and I went into the room to give my speech.  It all seems like a blur now, but in that moment there was nothing that was going to stop me from giving everything I had at that moment.  When the first round was over, I waited for what seemed like an eternity…and then it happened…they called my name to go on to the semi-finals!  Now I had to give a completely different speech on a different topic!  Competing against eight other individuals I knew that only two of us could make it out of this round.  That night at the banquet for the Speaking Contestants I could hardly eat or even sit still. They called the extemporaneous speakers, bronze, silver and then finally the top four individuals that would be advancing to the finals! “California…Oklahoma…Kansas… and North Carolina!” I was so excited! I had finally made it to the top four and I would be competing one final time in front of everyone!  Friday couldn’t come fast enough! I just wanted to know how I had done!  But I had to compete one final time on Thursday!  I got up that morning and I was ready to go, it was game-time and it was time to let the dogs out!  I gave it everything I had!  Friday night came; the nervousness was at an all-time high.  All I can remember about that whole ceremony was “First runner up…John Stewart, Knightdale, North Carolina!!!!!”  I was so excited, what an incredible opportunity and journey it has been to be able to represent North Carolina at National FFA Convention.

National FFA Convention was certainly a great time, and North Carolina FFA was easily one of the best represented.  Not only were we recognized as the third fastest growing Association, we were represented by an outstanding group of Members and Delegates!  This year, National FFA also recognized Native American Heritage as an important factor in the shaping of the United States, Agriculture and the FFA.  We were especially well represented by members of the St. Pauls FFA Chapter, who provided rich history on Native Americans from North Carolina.  From the retiring addresses of the National Officers, to the elections of the 2011-2012 National Officers, National Convention is an exciting time, and a time to celebrate all of the achievements of our Organization.