By Logan Wells
FFA State President
There are countless opportunities available to students through the FFA. All of these events and programs align with the FFA mission statement which is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education. Some of the key events that we strive to accomplish that mission through include: leadership conferences, public speaking contests, proficiency awards, agriscience fairs and career development events (CDEs).
In the state of Wisconsin, our members have access to eight different leadership conferences. The purpose and target audience of each of these conferences ranges from middle school members just getting started in the FFA to upper level chapter officers. Many conferences focus on students learning and developing different leadership and interpersonal skills like communication, goal-setting, and conflict management. Attendees can also learn about career opportunities in agriculture, how to be a positive advocate for agriculture, and the interworking of a co-operative business structure.
Public speaking contests are one of the most historic components of our organization because there has and always will be a need for quality communication skills in our society. FFA members can compete in seven different speaking contests ranging from a traditional prepared speech to a job interview contest. One of our most exciting contests to watch is the discussion meet contest, where a group of students discuss a current issue in agriculture and develop an action plan for what we as FFA members can do to solve the issue or bring back to their chapter. Public speaking is one of the top fears of our society today, and in FFA, middle and high school students are growing outside their comfort zones and developing these crucial communication skills.
Proficiency awards are used to highlight and recognize FFA members who excel in their specific hands on learning project. FFA members have a Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) which is similar to a job or internship that they can gain hands-on skills. There are 49 different proficiency award areas which are broken down by the area of agriculture ranging from Ag Communications to Wildlife Management and everything in between. Not only are the areas organized by the type of agriculture, but also by the skills those students are gaining in those areas. Most are classified as either entrepreneurship, where the student owns their own business, or placement where the student works for someone else. By learning lots of skills and being proficient in their area, students can win trophies, cash prizes, or even a free agricultural exchange trip to Costa Rica at the national level.
The Agriscience Fair is designed for our members to dig deep into an experiment in one of the seven career pathways of agriculture. From animal and plant systems to renewable energy and environmental systems, it is amazing to see some of the experiments students conduct and present at the state and national convention.
Lastly, one of the founding opportunities of the FFA are Career Development Events (CDE). These are contests that test the skills of students in a certain area of agriculture. There are 16 different areas ranging from forestry to floriculture and from meats to livestock. The contest is designed to work with the curriculum students learn in their agriculture class and add some competitive spirit to learning.
These have been a few of the many opportunities available to FFA members today. Aside from state level programs, many local chapters have community service projects, scholarships, recreational events, and agricultural literacy programs to name a few. Every student is different and they can explore areas that interest them and in turn are able to grow as a leader, develop as a person, and discover a career.
- Logan Wells, a 2011 graduate of Monroe High School, is currently a forestry major at University of Wisconsin-Madison. He serves as the president of the Wisconsin FFA.
FFA State President
There are countless opportunities available to students through the FFA. All of these events and programs align with the FFA mission statement which is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education. Some of the key events that we strive to accomplish that mission through include: leadership conferences, public speaking contests, proficiency awards, agriscience fairs and career development events (CDEs).
In the state of Wisconsin, our members have access to eight different leadership conferences. The purpose and target audience of each of these conferences ranges from middle school members just getting started in the FFA to upper level chapter officers. Many conferences focus on students learning and developing different leadership and interpersonal skills like communication, goal-setting, and conflict management. Attendees can also learn about career opportunities in agriculture, how to be a positive advocate for agriculture, and the interworking of a co-operative business structure.
Public speaking contests are one of the most historic components of our organization because there has and always will be a need for quality communication skills in our society. FFA members can compete in seven different speaking contests ranging from a traditional prepared speech to a job interview contest. One of our most exciting contests to watch is the discussion meet contest, where a group of students discuss a current issue in agriculture and develop an action plan for what we as FFA members can do to solve the issue or bring back to their chapter. Public speaking is one of the top fears of our society today, and in FFA, middle and high school students are growing outside their comfort zones and developing these crucial communication skills.
Proficiency awards are used to highlight and recognize FFA members who excel in their specific hands on learning project. FFA members have a Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) which is similar to a job or internship that they can gain hands-on skills. There are 49 different proficiency award areas which are broken down by the area of agriculture ranging from Ag Communications to Wildlife Management and everything in between. Not only are the areas organized by the type of agriculture, but also by the skills those students are gaining in those areas. Most are classified as either entrepreneurship, where the student owns their own business, or placement where the student works for someone else. By learning lots of skills and being proficient in their area, students can win trophies, cash prizes, or even a free agricultural exchange trip to Costa Rica at the national level.
The Agriscience Fair is designed for our members to dig deep into an experiment in one of the seven career pathways of agriculture. From animal and plant systems to renewable energy and environmental systems, it is amazing to see some of the experiments students conduct and present at the state and national convention.
Lastly, one of the founding opportunities of the FFA are Career Development Events (CDE). These are contests that test the skills of students in a certain area of agriculture. There are 16 different areas ranging from forestry to floriculture and from meats to livestock. The contest is designed to work with the curriculum students learn in their agriculture class and add some competitive spirit to learning.
These have been a few of the many opportunities available to FFA members today. Aside from state level programs, many local chapters have community service projects, scholarships, recreational events, and agricultural literacy programs to name a few. Every student is different and they can explore areas that interest them and in turn are able to grow as a leader, develop as a person, and discover a career.
- Logan Wells, a 2011 graduate of Monroe High School, is currently a forestry major at University of Wisconsin-Madison. He serves as the president of the Wisconsin FFA.