Click for College! Learn about universities and scholarships at ffanewhorizons.org Just Breathe Brittney Selman hand-pollinates flowers tips for planning life after high school THE MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL FFA ORGANIZATION | August 2008 ® NEW HORIZONS FFA
Learn about college opportunities and meet a member who cross-pollinates irises in the August 2008 edition of FFA New Horizons, the official publication for all 500,000+ members of the National FFA Organization, formerly known as Future Farmers of America.
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Click for College! Learn about universities and scholarships at ffanewhorizons.org
Just Breathe
( )
Brittney Selman hand-pollinates flowers
tips for planninglife after high school
T H E M A G A Z I N E O F T H E N A T I O N A L F F A O R G A N I Z A T I O N | A u g u s t 2 0 0 8
®
NEW HORIZONSFFA
FFA Volume 55 Number 6
The magazine of the National FFA OrganizationNEW HORIZONS®
JULIE WOODARD Editorial Director KIM NEWSOM Editor JOYCE CARUTHERS Copy Editor JESSY YANCEY Editorial Assistant ANDREA BLOOM, CAROL COWAN, Contributing Writers CHRIS HAYHURST, JESSICA MOZO KEITH HARRIS Creative Director BRIAN McCORD Senior Photographer JEFF ADKINS, TODD BENNETT, Staff Photographers ANTONY BOSHIER, IAN CURCIO, JESSE KNISH ANNE WHITLOW Photography Assistant NATASHA LORENS Production Director CHRISTINA CARDEN Assistant Production Director HAZEL RISNER Pre-Press Coordinator TADARA SMITH Senior Production Project Manager MELISSA HOOVER, JILL WYATT Production Project Managers LAURA GALLAGHER, VIKKI WILLIAMS Senior Graphic Designers ERICA HINES, Graphic Designers AMY NELSON, CANDICE SWEET MARCIA BANASIK, SARAH MILLER, Ad Traffic PATRICIA MOISAN, RAVEN PETTY GARY SMITH Distribution Director SHAWN DANIEL Web Design Director ANDY HARTLEY, YAMEL RUIZ Web Project Managers RYAN DUNLAP, CARL SCHULZ Web Designers CORY MITCHELL Color Imaging Technician KRISTY MEYER, AMBER STRIEGEL FFA Communications RAY LANGEN Executive Vice President CARLA H. THURMAN Sr. V.P./Sales CASEY E. HESTER Sr. V.P./Operations MARK FORESTER V.P./Visual Content TEREE CARUTHERS V.P./Editorial Director JEFFREY S. OTTO Photography Director BETH MURPHY Advertising Sales Manager, Custom Division JOHN LACEY Integrated Media Manager PATTI CORNELIUS Custom Sales Support RACHEL MATHEIS Sales/Marketing Coordinator For advertising information, contact John Lacey, (800) 333-8842, ext. 281, or e-mail [email protected].
National FFA Officers ZACH KINNE, MO President BECKY SULLIVAN, KS Secretary TYLER TENBARGE, IN Eastern Region Vice President MORGAN PARKER, CO Central Region Vice President BRADY REVELS, FL Southern Region Vice President KARI BOETTCHER, OR Western Region Vice President
National FFA Staff LARRY CASE National Advisor, Chief Executive Officer STEVE BROWN Executive Secretary DOUG LOUDENSLAGER Chief Operating Officer MARION FLETCHER National Treasurer MARK CAVELL, DALE CRABTREE, Division Directors TOM KAPOSTASY, JANET MALONEY, DENNIS SARGENT, KENT SCHESCKE, VICKI SETTLE, LEE ANNE SHILLER, TONY SMALL, BILL STAGG, WILL WAIDELICH
National FFA Board of Directors – Members LARRY CASE Chair, USDE, VA STEVE BROWN Secretary, USDE, VA MARION FLETCHER Treasurer, State Supervisor, AR ROBERT B. CALVIN Agriculture Teacher/USDE, MO WILBUR CHANCELLOR State Supervisor, MS THOMAS DORMODY Teacher Educator/USDE, NM DENNIS FISCUS State Supervisor, AZ IKE KERSHAW State Supervisor, OH BRUCE LAZARUS FFA Executive Secretary/USDE, AR JOEL LARSEN State Supervisor, MN JOHN RAKESTRAW Business Representative/USDE, CO
Subscription Information:FFA New Horizons (ISSN 1069-806X) is published Feb., April, June, Aug., Oct. and Dec. by the National FFA Organization, 6060 FFA Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46268-0960. Publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited manuscripts, art or any other unsolicited materials. For subscription information contact: FFA New Horizons Subscription Services, (317) 802-4235 or e-mail [email protected]. Periodical postage rate is paid at Indianapolis, Ind., and additional mail offices.
Postmaster: Please send address changes to FFA New Horizons, P.O. Box 68960, Indianapolis, IN 46268-0960.
The National FFA Organization is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.
On the CoverBrittney Selman, Garland, UtahPhoto By Brian McCord
Click on Fun Stuff for more ideas for educating others about FFA.
The FFA members of the Firebaugh chapter in California started a new school tradition last November. The students, all Greenhand FFA members, held the
school’s first plant sale, marketing their
products to members of the community. The students say
they are proud to help contribute beauty to the local landscape and plan to host the
sale as an annual event.
5FFA NEW HORIZONSFFANEWHORIZONS.ORG
Story by Andrea Bloom
For most FFA members, August means returning
to the high school hallways and gearing up for
another exciting year of FFA activities.
But for some it means heading off to college for the
first time. Why should your FFA involvement end with
the toss of a graduation cap? With all of the
opportunities Collegiate FFA offers, you can continue to
lead and serve agriculture for the next four years – and
have a lot of fun along the way.
Jeff Papke, team leader of Collegiate FFA programs,
says the main goal of Collegiate FFA is to “provide
additional leadership and career opportunities to
members who are pursuing agricultural careers.”
MAKING CAREER CONTACTS
“In today’s agricultural industry, there is a need
for quality employees,” Papke says.
As a result, companies put greater emphasis
on recruiting new employees who possess more than
just technical skills. According to Papke, employers
are looking for “soft skills,” like team leadership,
communication, work ethic and public speaking ability.
Papke also explains that company leaders value
a student’s supervised agricultural experience (SAE)
because it proves that the individual has business
experience and has learned to make smart decisions.
Matthew Meyer, a recent agriculture graduate of
Extend your FFA involvement beyond high
school by joining Collegiate FFA
New LevelTake It to a
Collegiate events during the national FFA convention include a Collegiate Game Night, where members from different states can mingle with each other.
6 FFA NEW HORIZONS FFANEWHORIZONS.ORG
Western Illinois University, made
significant professional contacts
through his Collegiate FFA experience.
“The biggest opportunity is the
business contacts you can make,” Meyer
says, adding that one of the best ways
to make those contacts is to attend the
Collegiate Career Expo at the annual
national FFA convention.
During the event, students can meet
with representatives from many of the
nation’s leading agricultural companies,
share their résumés, learn more about the
companies’ values and explore internships
or full-time careers.
STAYING CONNECTED WITH FFA
Collegiate FFA is certainly a great
way to develop career skills and look for
employers. However, it’s not all about
briefcases and business cards. Collegiate
FFA also provides many opportunities to
stay connected with FFA on local, state
and national levels.
Dr. Greg Thompson, an Oregon State
FYISTARTING A COLLEGIATE CHAPTER
Would you love to be a
Collegiate FFA member,
but your university
doesn’t have a chapter?
Do you know of other
students who feel the
same way? Start a
chapter! Here’s how:
advisor and ask for
his or her help.
campus administration
to discuss your
intentions.
together to discuss
the purpose and value
of Collegiate FFA on
your campus.
members and invite
them to your first
meeting.
experiences and
leadership skills to
create opportunities
that will benefit your
members.
don’t reinvent the
wheel! Communicate
with other Collegiate
FFA chapters to share
ideas.
The Collegiate Career Expo, held during the national FFA convention, allows Collegiate FFA members to learn about agricultural companies, discover internships and consider future jobs.
University (OSU) agricultural education
professor, has served as a Collegiate FFA
advisor for the past 13 years.
“Collegiate FFA is a huge organization at
OSU and a very active club,” Thompson says.
Each year, members of the OSU
Collegiate FFA chapter organize and host
the state career development events for high
school competitors. Through this event,
collegiate students learn to budget big
events, collaborate with faculty and develop
partnerships with other campus leaders.
Papke says that Collegiate FFA differs
from other student organizations because
those clubs are often offered only to a
specific group of students. Collegiate FFA,
on the other hand, is open to all students.
“All you have to be is someone who is
studying agriculture,” Papke says.
ffanewhorizons.org
Visit In This Issue for more Collegiate FFA ideas and activities.
7FFA NEW HORIZONSFFANEWHORIZONS.ORG
8 FFA NEW HORIZONS FFANEWHORIZONS.ORG
InterestDeep-Rooted
Well-rounded member Brittney Selman enjoys everything FFA
Cover Story
Story by Chris Hayhurst
If you want to know who, exactly,
Brittney Selman is, you first
have to know this: There’s a
secret to that smile – the one you
can’t miss when she’s delivering
a speech, leading a meeting or
working in the fields – and it’s all
about confidence. It’s the confidence
that comes with success, whether it’s
in school, FFA competitions, or in
business. It’s the confidence of a
winner, someone who’s learned what
it takes, through years of practice,
to achieve almost anything.
“I want to be a motivational
speaker,” says Brittney, the 2008
valedictorian of Bear River High
School in Garland, Utah, and newly
Brittney selman shears one of the rams she leases to sheep producers in the area. Left: All five Selman siblings – from left, Alashandra, Justin, Brittney, Morgan and Tanya – have worn the Bear River FFA jacket. As a result, their parents haven’t missed a state FFA convention in more than 10 years.
elected state FFA secretary. “I’d like
to be the kind of person who always
comes to state convention and
speaks at conferences. I love
watching those guys. I’ve always
listened, and it always makes me
want to go and do better things,
and be a better person, and I think
it would be cool to try and do that
for other people.”
Seem like a stretch? In
Brittney’s case, definitely not.
“She’s so enthusiastic and
interested in promoting FFA,” says
Wes Burrell, Brittney’s advisor. “And
she’s a great leader. She leads by
example and never just tells people
to do things. She’s very proactive,
always taking the initiative to get
things done.”
She’s also a great competitor. In
2007, Brittney won state in prepared
public speaking. She also took high
individual on a state champion farm
business management team. This
fall she’s headed to Utah State
University, where she’ll major
in agricultural communications
and journalism.
Look for Brittney outside of
school, and chances are you’ll find
her at Zebra Gardens, a local
company that cultivates hybrid
irises with splashy, streaking
colors. The unique flowers are given
animal names – anything from
“Chocolate Moose” to “Hippoz Tutu” –
and are sold as bulbs. Brittney,
who’s worked at Zebra Gardens since
the age of 11, is the company’s field
manager. She helps with the
hybridizing through careful bee-
like hand pollinating. She also leads
tours and supervises other workers.
“I make sure they stay on task
9FFA NEW HORIZONSFFANEWHORIZONS.ORG
PHO
TOS
BY B
RIAN
MCC
ORD
Brittney says hybridizing irises requires patience, attention to detail and record-keeping skills.
and that what they’re doing is
correct,” Brittney explains. “If the
irises aren’t planted right, or things
aren’t done right, they won’t grow.”
Over the years she has found
time for experimentation and has
even started an iris garden of her
own at home. Last October, she won
a national FFA floriculture
proficiency award for her work.
“I never thought of myself as
competitive,” Brittney says. “When
I started public speaking as a
freshman, I was scared to death.
I didn’t think I’d ever want to do it
again. But my parents have always
taught me, and FFA has always
taught me, keep going and try again.”
That might explain Brittney’s
success in yet another venture:
sheep breeding.
“I have three rams and I rent
them out to herd owners around
Utah and Idaho,” explains Brittney.
“They’re for producing show sheep.”
Brittney says her sheep
breeding business is part of a
growing niche market, and she
hopes to add more rams to her flock.
With a father who grew up on a
sheep ranch and four older siblings
as former FFA members, Brittney
has agriculture in her blood.
“They showed me what it was
all about,” she says. “I tagged along
everywhere they went.”
Now, she says, her parents and
siblings are her strongest supporters.
“They’ve all been there
whenever I’ve competed, and they’re
always there whenever I need help.
I want to make them all proud.”
10 FFA NEW HORIZONS FFANEWHORIZONS.ORG
Cover Story
11FFA NEW HORIZONSFFANEWHORIZONS.ORG
A college freshman, John has already gained a broad perspective
of the agriculture industry through his FFA involvement. John
raised turkeys and chickens through his supervised agricultural
experience program and participated in the livestock evaluation
and agronomy CDEs. John is currently attending the Curtis School
of Technical Agriculture.
John HorstChapter: Sandy Creek FFA
NE
This college freshman used her FFA experiences to improve her
career skills in the livestock industry. Cheyenne participated in
the livestock evaluation CDE and exhibited her registered Maine-
Anjou cattle at local and national shows. She also twice served as
chapter president. Cheyenne’s goal is to attain more acres and
cattle to further develop her cattle operation.
Cheyenne TillisonChapter: Henderson FFA
TX
As a college sophomore, Chase believes he gained many career
skills through FFA. Chase participated in many CDEs, earned his
chapter FFA degree and served as a chapter officer for three
years. In addition, Chase was a three-sport athlete and took part
in the school musical. He is currently attending Catawba College
with a major in music business.
Chase KylesChapter: East Rowan FFA
NC
Suzannah, a college senior, earned her state FFA degree,
participated in and coached parliamentary procedure, and was a
member of the 2006 National FFA Chorus. Suzannah served as the
2007-08 state FFA reporter and currently attends Tennessee
Technological University with a major in agricultural education.
She plans to become an agriculture instructor.
Suzannah MellingerChapter: Eastern York FFA
PA
Micaela, a college freshman, says her FFA advisor was a very
positive influence during her FFA career. Micaela received her
chapter’s most active member award for three years and served
as chapter president. She now attends the University of Nebraska-
Lincoln, majors in agricultural leadership and hopes to work as a
county extension agent.
NEMicaela RezacChapter: Raymond Central FFA
This college sophomore has an impressive résumé of FFA
achievements. Jordan was a state agricultural communications
proficiency winner and served as the 2005-06 Alabama state FFA
president. Jordan attends Auburn University, where he majors in
chemical engineering and chemistry, and may pursue a research
career in alternative fuels.
ALJordan HamiltonChapter: Sand Rock FFA
A college sophomore, Doug has participated in a multitude of FFA
activities, including the livestock evaluation career development
event (CDE), parliamentary procedure, and the chapter fruit sale.
Doug ranked 39th individual in the national land and range judging
contest. He currently attends Wilmington College with a major in
agricultural business.
OHDoug HarrisChapter: National Trail FFA
Win a Chevrolet T-ShirtChevrolet, the sponsor of FFA Faces, will award