Life…are your tires inflated?

Maybe the last couple of weeks have gone a little like this for you:

• Practice for spring sports for hours after school
• Conference and State competitions and games
• Banquets for clubs and organizations
• Turning in the last weeks of homework
• Finishing end of the year projects and taking final…after final…after final
• Getting ready for graduation
• Applying for scholarships
• Preparing for summer jobs and internships
• Spending the last bit of time with friends before summer break
• Reconnecting with family and friends after school is out
• Doing some spring cleaning
• State FFA Conventions!
• Budget meetings
• Selling your home
• Replying to tons of emails
• Staying connected through YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, texting, calling, watching TV…
• And the list could go on…and on…and on

      Life can get…well, crazy!  There is so much going on around us and the world gives us so many options.  I don’t know about you, but I like to stay busy and have a tough time saying “no”.  While everyone is more than happy to have you on their team, in their group, or listen to your thoughts, we can not forget to slow life down every once in a while and keep a balance.

Ken Quick checks in…

Check out the latest video blog from National FFA Eastern Region Vice President Ken Quick! He talks about his recent trips to West Virginia, South Dakota, California, and Wisconsin, the Blue catalog photo shoot, and NLCSO training, all while doing battle with a dragonfly.

Happy Mother’s Day!

 

Mothers are a very special part of the support system for students and FFA members.  They drive us to FFA practices and leadership events.  They listen to us hundreds of times as we practice that FFA speech.  They cheer for us when we win a CDE and console us when we lose.  They help put on the FFA Alumni events and are right by our side while filling out record books.  For all that moms do we want to say, “thank you.”

This Mother’s Day you can make a gift to FFA in honor of the special mother in your life.  Donate online here:  www.ffa.org/give

 

Inborn Fondness

By Cain Thurmond, Southern Region Vice President

Each year, FFA members recite the FFA Creed while competing in a career development event; others, to receive their chapter degree while many live by these five paragraphs daily. The Creed is the cornerstone of the beliefs we possess as members of this organization, but how often do we stop and reflect on its words? The second paragraph of the FFA Creed includes a line, “…for I know the joys and discomforts of agricultural life and hold an inborn fondness for those associations which, even in hours of discouragement, I cannot deny.”

Stories From The Road

Two weeks ago I attended the Massachusetts State FFA Convention, where over 400 members participated in Career Development Events, convention sessions, and met other students who share a passion for agricultural pursuits. After the convention wrapped up, it was difficult to say goodbye to my new friends.

Sitting on the train from Boston to New Jersey I was listening to music, watching the countryside roll by out the window, and thinking about the goals and hopes of FFA members across the country. How much I hope every one of us realize the opportunity to achieve our dreams!

Ryan Best’s Testimony from the Senate Ag Committee Hearing

Did you miss our national FFA president’s testimony before the Senate Ag Committee today? Here’s a transcript:

Written Statement for the Record

Ryan W. Best
2011-12 National FFA President
National FFA Organization
Portales, New Mexico

Leveraging Agricultural Education and FFA To Strengthen American Agriculture Through the 2012 Farm Bill

Before the United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry

The Honorable Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman

March 14, 2012

National FFA President to testify before Senate committee

***Update: The date and time of the Senate Ag Committee hearing has changed. This post has been updated to reflect the new date and time.***

On Thursday, March 15, National FFA President Ryan Best is scheduled to testify at the United States Senate Agriculture Committee’s  Hearing on Risk Management and Commodities for the 2012 Farm Bill.

Congressional hearings are the principal formal method by which committees collect and analyze information in the early stages of legislative policy-making. Committees in both the U.S. House and Senate hold legislative hearings on measures or policy issues that may become public law. Hearings provide a forum where facts and opinions can be presented from witnesses with varied backgrounds, including Members of Congress and other government officials, interest groups, and academics, as well as citizens likely to be directly or indirectly affected by the proposal.

How the National FFA Officers will celebrate FFA Week

The 2011-2012 National FFA Officers are traveling to six different states to celebrate National FFA Week. We will be conducting many workshops and speaking to students and educators on a variety of topics. Check out what each officer has on their agenda as they continue to celebrate “I Believe”.

National FFA Officers wrap up their trip to Japan…

February 3^rd, 2012

A new day began as we left the Tokyo Excel Hotel and made it through the hustle and bustle of the subway system to Tokyo station. The famous bullet train “Shinkanzen” awaited to take us south to Nagoya.  This futuristic train travels over 150 miles per hour. As Mount Fugi appeared, we all took photos of the breathtaking mountain covered in snow.

More dispatches from Japan

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The National FFA Officer team embarked on a journey to Japan on January 28. Here are some  dispatches from their trip:

February 1^st

Rise and shine, it’s tofu time!  Our travels began as we headed north out of Tokyo toward the Aomori Prefecture and the Taishi-food, INC tofu plant.  We first toured the facilities and learned how the tofu is made.  Tofu originated in China and has become a common item in the Japanese diet.  This plant produces 150,000 tofu cakes a day which are distributed all over Japan using an intricate delivery system managed by the Mitsui company.  After having a basic understanding, we made our own tofu!  While it was cooking, we tasted other types including fried and chocolate.  While not professionals our own tofu turned out well.  Terrific tofu!