FFA state officers giving a year of service

Each year the Illinois Association FFA elects five young people to lead the organization. L to R: Clayton Carley, Mike Shively, Jacob Meisner, Jim Tobin, Chris Steppig (Photo courtesy Illinois Association FFA)

FFA members across the country and around the world are highlighting their organization during National FFA Week.

Each year the Illinois Association FFA elects five major state officers, who take a year off of school and serve more than 15,000 Illinois FFA members in a variety of ways.

“FFA Week is just an opportunity for all of us to promote the FFA and make sure some of the people who aren’t really involved in agriculture kind of see our side of the story,” said Chris Steppig, Illinois Assocation FFA reporter.  Steppig is from the Waterloo FFA Chapter.  He plans to study technical systems management or agriculture education this fall at the University of Illinois.

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During the week, state officer team has traveled around the state and visited several schools.  Illinois FFA Vice President Jim Tobin said he’s seen more of the state during his year of service than he ever imagined he would.

“I saw parts of Illinois that we don’t think about, necessarily, in my area.  Whether it was all the way down in Section 24 and Section 25 down in the Carbondale area and even further south, or up in the far northwest corner of Illinois where it gets more hilly and more rugged than I ever knew Illinois could get, and even down to inner city Chicago and the surrounding suburbs,” said Tobin, who grew up in rural McLean County and was a member of the Blue Ridge FFA Chapter.

Tobin plans to attend the University of Illinois or Southern Illinois University to major in agricultural education.

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FFA has also taken this officer team on international travel to China, where they talked with farmers there and learned about China’s economy and growing middle class.

“It was very interesting in China how people over there don’t own their land.  The government owns everything and then it is leased.  You don’t even own your house.  It’s a 70-year lease,” said Clayton Carley, Illinois Association FFA Secretary.  “So, for farmers over there, when we were talking to them, they just couldn’t fathom the thought that farmers here could farm upwards of several thousands acres.  In reality, over there, to farm two or three acres is a huge farm for them.”

Carley is from Crescent City and finished his high school FFA experience in Cissna Park.  He has one year of college completed and will continue this fall in the Parkland Pathways program, where he is double majoring in agronomy and plant genetics, along with agricultural education.  He will eventually transfer to the University of Illinois.

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One focus of the officer team is helping students to discover career potential in agriculture-related fields.

“We’ve got our Supervised Agricultural Experiences, and those are our record book projects that students can work on and keep throughout high school.  There are over 50 different areas covering just about every career path in the agricultural industry,” said Jacob Meisner, Illinois Association FFA secretary.  “When our students are in high school, there are tons of opportunities for them to learn more about agricultural careers and where their skills fit best and kind of develop the skills that they’re going to need in the work force.  When they go into college, they’ll have a better understanding.  They’ll already have those basic knowledge skills ready to go, so they’ll already be a step ahead.”

Meisner is from the Piasa FFA Chapter in Macoupin County. He plans to study agriculture education at the University of Illinois with hopes of becoming an agriculture teacher.

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Illinois Association FFA President Mike Shively from the Paxton-Buckley-Loda FFA chapter said the experience is as valuable for the state officers as it is for the members across the state.

“It’s a great experience for each of us because it builds not only the leadership of the members that we’re going and teaching and giving workshops to… it’s also helping us further our leadership skills.  Anything from working in an office, different skills that we need to run a business meeting – things that we’re going to be using in the real world,” said Shively.

Shively plans to attend Parkland College and the University of Illinois, majoring in crop science with a possible minor in diesel mechanics.

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National FFA membership stands at more than 540,000 members.  National FFA Week is February 18-25.

Carrie Muehling can be reached at carrie@wjbc.com.