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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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Off and Away

National FFA Convention takes members to great places

Off and Away


January 2010

Congratulations!” reads page one of my favorite Dr. Seuss book. “Today is your day. You’re off to great places! You’re off and away!”

Sure, Oh, the Places You’ll Go! offers comfort and lofty encouragement through its rhyming and reason, but setting foot into a new frontier is nearly always tough in spite of inspiration.

For some reason, this book makes me think of the national FFA convention.

No, the 82nd National FFA Convention held in October wasn’t my first trip to the blue jacket big stage, but in some ways, it was my last.

My walk back from the American Degree Ceremony inside the mammoth Lucas Oil Stadium through the brisk Indiana weather was remarkably quick. It was surreal – I had the golden key on my jacket chain and FFA’s highest honor in a frame under my arm.

The emotions came fresh and fast for the first time, though, as I glanced into that Indianapolis hotel room mirror doing something that I had honestly done a million times, give or take a few.

I was unzipping my FFA jacket for the final time.

I just wasn’t ready to be “off and away” despite Dr. Seuss’s insistence, and I’m willing to bet 3,297 of my national blue and corn gold friends and fellow American FFA Degree recipients weren’t ready for it, either.

Suddenly, it was 2005 again in my mind and I was back in Louisville, Ky., at the 78th National FFA Convention. There, I saw for the first time how big, how grand and how important this mission for agriculture education that we call FFA really was. Yep, I was one of those convention attendees constantly scanning the back of blue corduroy for states I’d yet to see.

Then, I was back around a campfire with the members of my chapter, going through the Greenhand initiation process for an organization I really didn’t know much about yet. Next, I was standing on stage at the 77th Indiana FFA State Convention taking second place in the agricultural communications proficiency.

Every second, it seemed, was a different flashback of an incredible journey full of proud moments and instructive experiences that culminated on that cool Indianapolis morning by shaking the hand of 2008-2009 National FFA President Paul Moya in front of thousands – but most importantly in front of my family, my advisors and so many of my closest blue-jacketed friends.

Oh, the places I’ve been. I began to realize two things from the day had a central theme: With fresh endings come new beginnings.

First, I recognized that even though I had just worn my FFA member jacket for the last time, the future opportunities for FFA alumni involvement were limitless.

Second – and likely more important – was an appreciation that for each of us receiving our American FFA Degrees on the final day of the 82nd convention, a few FFA members were just setting foot on the same incredible path we’d seen in FFA after attending their first national FFA convention.

Oh, the things they had seen. More than 50,000 FFA members had been there for one “Lead Out Loud” of a convention that opened with plenty of star power as Mike Rowe from Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs” delivered a rousing, motivational address. Rowe affirmed what FFA members from every walk of life already know: being a hard worker is an invaluable asset, no matter what profession you choose.

The hits, you could say, kept on coming as country music superstar – and most notably a former member of the blue and gold himself – Toby Keith took to the Lucas Oil Stadium stage for a Wednesday night, FFA members-only concert in front of a record 25,000 fans.

At the massive career show with exhibitors like John Deere, Ford Motor Company, Tractor Supply and hundreds of others, FFA members learned about agricultural careers and colleges to consider. NASCAR driver Ryan Newman even showed up at the U.S. Army display.

Still left for FFA members to take in were the Career Success Tours to nearby agriculture companies, national-level career development events and professional rodeos.

Finally, amid the usual general session atmosphere featuring the dynamic laser show, fun videos and loud music, convention attendees witnessed the retiring addresses of the 2008-2009 National FFA Officer team. And then, they saw the nail-biting selection and election of the 2009-2010 National FFA Officers – President Levy Randolph of California, Secretary Bethany Bohnenblust of Kansas, Eastern Region Vice President Alexandria Henry of Michigan, Central Region Vice President Randa Braune of Texas, Southern Region Vice President Chelsea Doss of Tennessee and Western Region Vice President Chase Rose of Montana.

At that point, realizing all of the remarkable experiences FFA members had seen during four days in Indianapolis, I began to feel calm.

Sure, thousands of us in Saturday morning’s American Degree Ceremony were “off and away” from our time in the blue jacket.

But for so many more FFA members, the national FFA convention was a vast and encouraging experience destined to lead them to a better future – destined to let them “Lead Out Loud.”

Story by Geoffrey Miller


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