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More Feature Articles

January 2010
-Creature-Focused Careers
-Former Members Reflect: Dr. Dwight Armstrong
-Levy Randolph
-Safety on Speed Dial
-Preserving Their Culture
-Off and Away

November 2009
-Former Members Reflect: Emilie Bocker
-Turn That Down!
-Car Smarts
-So Much Cooler Online
-Laila Hajji
-The Water Way
-A Greater Cause

June 2009
-Stretch Your Summer Income
-Riley Branch
-Turn That Down
-Behind-The-Scenes Star

May 2009
-Welcoming Women
-Regina Holliday
-Job Interview Jitters
-So Much Cooler Online
-Questioning Your College Choices?

-A Can-Do Attitude
-Former Members Reflect: Michele Payn-Knoper

April 2009
-Hannah Crossen
-Cowboy Book With a Cause
-From FFA to 33Miles
-There’s Cash in Your Future
-I’m Angry…Now What?
-For the Love of Landscaping
-Perfect Balance
-Gardening For A Cause

February 2009
-Blue-Ribbon Banjo Player
-FFA as an Art Form
-Wild About Animals
-Nessie Early
-Be a PAL
-Full Throttle
-Living to Serve
-Special Invitation

January 2009
-All About National FFA Week
-Paul Moya
-Justin Floyd
-Partners for the Planet
-Finding Balance
-Swimming in Aquaculture
-Breaking Records
-Take It Slow

December 2008
-National FFA convention to rotate homes

November 2008
-Dr. Al Snyder
-Scholarship Secrets
-Gear Up for National FFA Week
-Kari Boettcher
-Resist Peer Pressure
-Good to the Last Crop
-All Creatures, Great and Small
-Sparking Interest

September 2008
-Agriculture Accuracy
-Crissa Fruechte
-Brady Revels
-Get Up!
-Proceed With Caution
-All in Good Taste
-Clutch Performance
-Step Right Up

July 2008
-Take It to a New Level
-Deep-Rooted Interest
-Take a Deep Breath
-Tyler Tenbarge
-Inspired by FFA
-On the Right Track

May 2008
-In the Vault
-Your Money: Keeping Records
-National Officer Q&A
-We’re All Unique
-Best in Show
-Grab Life by the Reins

March 2008
-Call to Order!
-Reality Check
-Turtle Power
-By the Numbers
-Dale Darling
-A Token of Appreciation
-National Officer Q&A

January 2008
-National Officer Q&A
-Back Talk: Paul McCutchan
-Building Bright Futures

November 2007
-National Officer Q&A
-Back Talk: Corey Flournoy
-Biofuels Mean Business
-Go, Team, Go
-A Tractor Tradition

October 2007
-National Officer Q&A
-Back Talk: Kristie VerMulm
-Give them an A+
-Cranberry Crazy
-Racing to Indy

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FFA Feature

Back Talk: Kristie VerMulm

Once a shy speaker, Kristie now broadcasts to thousands

October 2007

Kristie VerMulm’s memory of performing the FFA Creed isn’t her most pleasant one. She recalls being terrified of speaking at both the district and state events – even though there were only a few judges in the room. The irony of this story is that this former state FFA reporter from Harrisburg, S.D., now broadcasts the news to some 150,000 homes a night in Sioux City, Iowa, with ease and confidence.

QBesides creed speaking, what other FFA activities did you participate in?

AEverything! I judged crops, livestock, dairy, poultry and horticulture. I also did job interview, parliamentary procedure and extemporaneous speaking – which really prepared me for a broadcasting career.

QWhat do you like most about your job as a news anchor?

AI truly love the fact that it’s always something new and fresh. Throughout the day, the entire show can change because of breaking news or last-minute events.

QYou’re constantly in the public eye. How do you handle that?

AWhen I served as a state FFA officer, I learned that you never know how many lives you impact – good or bad. That’s always stuck with me. But even sometimes, the nature of my job can be hectic, and I try to handle it one situation at a time.

Q How do you deal with those types of situations?

AIf I’m in a situation where I feel overwhelmed, I take a few deep breaths and say to myself, “If it’s meant to be, it’s up to me.”

QWhat career advice would you give to FFA members?

AGet an internship! In college, I majored in broadcasting, but I wasn’t certain about my career until one summer. I had an internship at a news bureau in Rapid City, S.D., and loved it. The job was something new every day, and that’s when I decided this was the route I wanted to go – to be a reporter. A few years later, when I graduated college, that same station hired me for my first job. So it definitely paid off.

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