FFA Journeys Part 2

Photo Credit: Jackie McClaskey

Last year I had the opportunity to be a part of a great experience that taught me a lot about myself, my values, and my areas for growth.

I began the process with no small amount of excitement and anticipation. I completed my intent to run form and submitted it as fast as I could. This was the point when I began to do insane amounts of research about agriculture and what was going on in the industry. After awhile it became more than research for the sake of knowing the information. I began researching because I actually cared about many of the topics that were affecting many peoples lives. I was no longer going through the motions but rather thinking about how this affects me s well as those around me.

Throughout this period of research I had the opportunity to participate in growth interviews. These interviews are to help the candidate, in this case me, understand what the actual interviews would be like as well as to gain feedback for self improvement. During the growth interviews I was asked questions about agriculture, education, and past experiences. Some of these questions I had never thought about and it made me question how much I truly knew about myself.

As I got further into to the process I began to have doubts. There were other people in the running who were so much better than I was when it came to knowing themselves and their facts about agriculture. I felt like I was not as qualified as they were. Soon enough the real interviews were upon me. I would wake up every morning and try to look my best for the nominating committee. I would go to the waiting room to check in and get a much needed cup of coffee. i would join in the lighthearted conversation with the rest of the candidates. The truth was that seeing all of them having fun made me feel even more inadequate. Were they not under the same pressure I was?

I went through the rest of the interviews trying to hide my feelings and make myself seem as put together as possible. When it came time to go to the session where they would announce the candidates that were slated I went to the auditorium and found a good friend of mine and broke down. This was not the first time this week I had cried, but this was the first time I had let anyone see. They announced the slate later in that session and my name wasn't called. I felt a mix of emotions at first: some anger, regret, sadness, and most of all, let down. Not so much let down by the committee. They were good people who knew what they were doing. I felt as if I had let myself down. I put so much of myself into the process that it I was physically exhausted and collapsed. I didn't move for a solid minute. It began to sink in and I began to cry again along with a few others who didn't make the slate.

My advisor came backstage and helped me move to another room where she just stood in silence and let me cry. I cried until my head hurt and my eyes would not let me cry anymore. Then I stood in silence, wondering if I was not a good person. Wondering if I was not involved enough in agriculture. I kept thinking thoughts that began with the phrase, "what if?" I was going crazy and soon I was too exhausted to even think. My advisor did the best thing possible and just stood there with me, not trying to tell me I was a good person or comfort me with what at the time would have seemed like empty words. She just stood there and let me cry and let me feel.

I realized later after I spoke with my advisor that it wasn't because I was a bad person or not involved enough. It was simply a matter of if I was ready. We spoke at length about my areas for growth and how I could use my strengths to grow in the future.

The point I'm trying to make is that when something doesn't go the way you want it to, let yourself take in what is happening then. Let yourself take in the feelings that you have because they are real, but whatever you do DO NOT give up on yourself. You may not be ready for what you have planned, but let yourself be ready for what God has planned.

An Attack on Ag?

Photo credit: Kevin Lewis

Over the past month I have read a lot about SB 178. For those of you that may not be as familiar with it or may not have time to keep up with happenings in legislature, this is a bill that will raise the taxes of the land that farmers use. This bill was proposed by state senator Jeff Melcher and it seeks to change the value of taxable land. The reason that Melcher gives for this change is that farmers are not paying their fair share of taxes and this bill will raise taxes to ensure that farmers are paying an equal amount of taxes. This seems fair at face value, but when we delve deeper into the issue you may see otherwise.

The reason that the land's value is lower for farmers comes down to one simple word: risk. Each year farmers plant crops and/or raise livestock and each year the uncontrollable force called mother nature decides what kind of year it will be for farmers. When we look at the incredible risk that these farmers are taking we also have to think about the fact that they are not planting crops and raising animals for kicks. They are doing it to survive and help our growing population survive. If the wheat that my dad plants this year gets mauled by a hailstorm then insurance might cover it, but that means that for the year until the next wheat crop is harvested we might be strapped for cash. Same idea if there is a drought, (which is in fact happening.) The truth is that we cannot control the weather and that means that some years farmers may have limited income due to adverse weather conditions.

This is why there is a system to determine the value of taxable land based on its productive value. There is a very complex formula that goes into determining this value that I am not qualified to explain but it has worked for many years and many other states in the nation are using it as well. So why fix what's not broken?

The bill could have disastrous effects on the livelihoods of many producers in Kansas. This bill would raise the taxes an estimated 473% for farmers according to the Kansas Department of Revenue. This means that even if farmers have a bad year they will still get taxed the same as the cash-rental rates. To put this into perspective a farmer that currently pays close to $9,000 would have to pay around $42,000 regardless of the yield. Now I do not think that it is fair to the farmer. After all the entire purpose of taxing based on productive potential is to insulate farmers from hard years.

Overall I believe that the argument of farmers not paying their fair share is unfounded. Next time you eat dinner think about where your food came from and how much farmers put into making your food. These taxes would hit some farms hard enough to go out of business and then where would that food on your plate come from? Would it even be there?

FAA Offers Ag New Technology

The FAA is opening a new doorway of technology to agriculturists as they will soon be able to use drones to do many different things such as map fields, monitor livestock in large pastures, and plan how they will plant and fertilize their crops. This new technology will bring about more efficient farming practices and help producers produce a more abundant product. See the video below for a quick overview of what the FAA is doing about drone regulations. 

FFA Journeys Part 1

Photo credit: Kristin Vinduska

What do the movies "Napoleon Dynamite," "Paris, Texas," and "Charlotte's Web" have in common? Well you could watch all three movies back to back, or you could just let me save you some time and tell you about my story in the blue jacket that appears in all three movies.

I originally had no idea what FFA was other than it being called the "Future Farmers of America" (a common misconception I will address later). I thought that it was just for farmers and kids that raised animals. Little did I know that it was open to those who wanted to do a variety of different things. Sure the organization was about agriculture, but also about so much more.

One of the first things that I learned in FFA was the FFA Creed. As a freshman (a.k.a. Greenhand) you learn and memorize a five paragraph passage that defines the very foundations of what we as members believe. In fact each of the five paragraphs begins with the line, "I believe." After the Greenhands memorize the creed, they have the opportunity to use their speaking abilities to bring their passion and beliefs to life. I was able to bring my passion for agriculture to life. I made it to the State FFA Creed Career Development Event (CDE) and because of the hard work and time that I put into developing my speaking skills I was able to make an impression on those who listened. I ended up winning and advanced to the National Creed Speaking CDE and was placed in the bronze division. Even though I didn't make it as far as I would have liked this experience has had an impact on me that is hard to describe in the words contained in this blog. The best I can do is say that it changed my life and how I looked at challenges that were set before me.

Moving from my freshman year to my senior year, I had a lot of positive experiences for growth within FFA. These experiences ranged from winning FFA speaking CDEs to losing judging contests and spending more time at the drawing board. I feel as if all of these experiences gave me the drive to run for a State FFA Officer position. For those of you who may not be familiar with FFA, there are different levels of officers that are responsible for different things. The most important level of officers is the chapter officers. They are the ones who direct the work of the organization on the local level. They essentially run the local chapters on a day to day basis. The next level of officers are the district officers. These officers direct the work of the district as well as the development of each of the chapters within their district. The state officers are the ones who direct the work of the state association and are in charge of the development of each district. These are the hard workers that go out into the industry throughout the state and help promote the industry in a positive way. The highest level of officers are the national officers. These are the face of the FFA who constantly stay up to date with the latest issues facing the industry. They also focus on the development of the organization as a whole.

In February of last year I set out on a journey of personal growth to become a State FFA Officer. I remember meeting a state officer my freshman year and I knew that I wanted to have the same impression on members that he had on me. I used all the experiences I had during my time in FFA to figure out why I wanted to be an officer. Many came from my unique experiences throughout my time in FFA and some came from some of the circumstances that I had outside of FFA. Overall I decided that I would run for a state office and do my best to make a difference in the lives of some members.

Not every FFA member has a crucible moment in FFA like I did but I can almost guarantee that the organization has changed every member in some form. It pushes members to become better leaders, better agriculturists, and overall better people. I have had experiences in FFA that have made me a leader in some organizations that I am involved in. I have come from being a shy high school freshman to an outgoing college student who loves public speaking and interacting with others.

FFA is hard to describe without the experiencing it for yourself. I can tell you about my experiences but that would not do the organization justice. It is an experience that shaped my foundations and you would be hard pressed to find the words to describe the entirety of the effect of FFA.

Daily Fix

Photo credit: Heath Shields

This morning I walked across the bridge from the residence hall that I live in, into the cafeteria and to the coffee bar to get my morning fix before my first class. I then look over to the chef's station next to me and I see some toast and I go over and grab some for a quick meal before I went to class. It wasn't until I started thinking about what to write for this blog post that I realized how important of a role agriculture played in my daily life. In that short amount of time of getting out of bed to going to my first class, (which in all honesty was about 20 minutes,) I had used agricultural products too many times to count.

When you think about the products that you use, one of the first things that comes to most people's minds is food. Food is delicious and also a necessity of life, but let us look further and harder for the things that we gain from agriculture. The clothes you are wearing right now is a product of agriculture (cotton). The toothpaste that you hopefully brushed your teeth with this morning is a product of agriculture. Nearly anything you can see is agriculturally produced yet we so often overlook that fact. 

I challenge you to think about what crop or other product went into making what you are now buying at the store. Really think about the role agriculture plays in your life regardless of where you work, where you live, or what you do. It is guaranteed that agriculture is a part of your daily life.

Why Agriculture?

Photo credit: Nellie Kassebaum

Hello all! My name is Kevin Lewis and I am a Mass Media major with an emphasis in public relations here at Washburn University. This blog is going to explore the roles of agriculture in our daily lives as well as provide some current events in the industry that would have an effect on our lives. 

I did not start out living on a farm and just by looking at me you can probably tell. I used to live in a city and I did not have a clue about agriculture. Then my dad got a new job and everything changed. I went from staying at home and doing my homework and not much else, to being super involved in every activity that I could and that included an organization that has shaped my entire perspective about life. 

When I came to rural America I had no idea what FFA was. I was almost certain that it was exclusively for farm kids and I had not been a farm kid for more than a few months. Sure I worked on the farm and drove equipment, but I had no idea about anything beyond that. One day at school I was stopped in the hall by a woman that I had never seen before. After brief introductions I discovered that she was the Ag Ed instructor and FFA Advisor. She asked me why I wasn't in one of her classes and I told her that I had not been a farm kid for very long. She chuckled and told me that I should try one of her classes anyway. 

Flashing forward, after taking one of her classes I joined FFA and I discovered a talent of public speaking. This talent helped me develop speeches based on research which in turn sharpened my research and critical thinking skills. Before I knew it I was writing speeches about GMOs and talking with other FFA members about the Farm Bill. 

I realized that agriculture was not exclusively farming but it is also leadership, public relations, communication, business, science, and technology. I grew a passion for agriculture as well as a respect for those that are a part of the industry. Without people like my dad, uncle, and friends, I would not be wearing that nice suit in the photo above. I would not have a home that I can come home to from college on the weekends. Agriculture is important and that is why this blog exists. To share a passion and respect for agriculture.