The members having some fun at the Kelsey Dairy Farm while waiting for our tour.

Listening to the farm manager at Kelsey Dairy Farm while he gives us a tour of the farm.

I Believe. Not only are these words the beginning of the FFA Creed, but they were also the theme of the 84th National FFA Convention. The convention was held October 18-22 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Throughout the convention FFA members competed in contests including public speaking, job interview and livestock judging. Students were also given the opportunity to attend a career show, tour agricultural businesses or farms and hear the inspiring words of motivational speakers as well as National Officers at nine different sessions.

This year Marc Zavala, Ryan Calderon, Sierra Blankenship, Hailee Smith, Micah Chumley, Alexus Galassi and myself as well as parents Alishia Duncan, Kathleen Aguirre and Fillmore FFA advisor Mr. Ricards were able to travel to Indiana for an exciting week. We began Wednesday morning with a self guided tour of the National FFA Center where we learned about the history of FFA. Shortly after that, we went on a tour of the Indiana Speedway. We took a bus ride around the track, learned traditions and facts about the speedway and also saw different models of race cars. We then hurried over to the giant Career Show and Expo. With over 1300 career and college booths in attendance, we each received enough pamphlets and pens to last us a lifetime! The career show definitely opened our eyes to how many great agricultural colleges and careers there are in the United States. After walking through the Career Show and Expo, our group headed to the Conseco Feildhouse for the Convention’s Opening Session. The National Officer team introduced the theme “I Believe” and explained that these words are truly the base of our organization. Without believing in something, whether it be in agriculture or yourself, FFA would not be the strong organization that it is today. The National FFA Advisor Dr. Steve Brown then gave a few words of wisdom to the 45,763 members in attendance. To end the session, motivational speaker Dave Roever talked to us about not giving up on ourselves. Mr. Roever is a war veteran who almost lost his life during battle. The majority of his skin was melted off and it left him with scars covering his body. He travels to talk to high school kids as well as army troops to encourage them to stay confident and never give up on their lives. Mr. Roever’s story had us laughing, crying and reflecting on our own lives.

Thursday morning’s rain couldn’t dampen our spirits as we headed out to participate in the National FFA Day of Service (NDOS). The NDOS is a community service event at various non-profit locations throughout Indianapolis. There are only enough spots for 1500 FFA members to participate in the NDOS and the Fillmore FFA was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend. Our NDOS site was Damar Services which is a residential facility for children with behavioral and mental disabilities. Along with FFA members from North Carolina we cleaned tables, walls, windows and organized recreational equipment. We all agreed it was a very rewarding experience. Quickly changing back into our official FFA uniforms we were off to the Second Session to hear the retiring address from our National Vice President of the Central Region Wyatt DeJong. He encouraged us to “do more and expect more from yourself then others expect of you.” At this session awards were given to outstanding FFA chapters throughout the nation who have made a difference in their communities. Later that night with a few thousand new FFA friends, we rocked Lucas Oil Stadium at the Blake Shelton Concert.

Friday was our day reserved for farm tours, but first we attended a session where we heard from speaker Vernice “Fly Girl” Armor a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Airforce. Her message was that your past prepares you for your future. She explained to us that how you respond versus react to a situation is truly the key. She went on to talk about “how can we be in service to others even when we feel like we are in our lowest moments because that is where true happiness and success is.” After this powerful message, we were off to our farm tours. Our first tour was at Umbargars Feed and Grain where we learned the process of making livestock show feed. Then we explored the family run “Kelsey Dairy Farm.” There we learned the high tech process they use to manage their herd of 300 cows. They use everything from computers to analyze each cow’s daily milk production to a mechanical pulley that automatically cleans the pens. Then we had a little fun in the five acre corn maze where we lost Mr. Ricards, don’t worry folks we found him! Our day ended with a tour of Hunter’s Honey Farm where we learned the steps of extracting and processing honey.

Saturday morning we attended a workshop called “What would we do without Agriculture in our lives?” It was lead by Past National Officer Becky Sullivan representing Kansas State University. We played games to learn about agricultural products and what the states top commodities are. We ended the workshop by discussing various agricultural careers that we were interested in. We ended our stay in Indiana with the final session of the 84th National FFA Convention where they announced the 2011-2012 National FFA Officer team. We would like to thank those in the community that supported our fundraising efforts and the Fillmore FFA Boosters that made it possible for us to attend the convention. It is our goal to share our experiences and lessons learned with our local chapter and the Fillmore community because I believe, We believe, We are FFA!

Brooke Aguirre is the Fillmore FFA Chapter Reporter