By Kate Davies, Weiser FFA Chapter Reporter
This past weekend, the Weiser FFA Chapter was invited to the State Leadership Conference in Twin Falls, Idaho. At this event various chapters from around the state gathered in a single location to celebrate what it means to be an FFA member. While at the conference, we were not only privileged to hear from many talented speakers but also witness the retiring addresses of all six state officers. Various awards were given out while at the conference, some of which were awarded to local FFA members. We were able to go on numerous industry tours as well as have a CDE team participate in a state competition. We rounded out the conference by witnessing the election of six new state officers; one of which came from our very own FFA chapter.
A variety of scholarships were presented throughout the State Leadership Conference. Four scholarships, however, were presented to Weiser FFA members. Macy Maloney, a senior and the current Weiser FFA chapter student advisor, was presented with the $1,000 Meridian Dairy Days Scholarship. Grace Swank, chapter Historian, was also presented with a $1,000 scholarship. Her scholarship was the Idaho FFA Foundation Raffle Scholarship. Quinci Marvin is a current senior as well. She also received the $1,000 Idaho FFA Foundation Raffle Scholarship. Lastly, Clayton Moore received the J.A. Wedum Scholarship priced at $2,000. Clayton is also a senior and is the current Weiser FFA Chapter President, as well as the Western Idaho District President.
As an FFA member, you are given the opportunity to earn four degrees. The first degree that is given to any incoming FFA member is the greenhand degree. The next degree is the chapter degree. Next, you are able to earn your State Degree and then on to your American degree. At the State Leadership Conference, eight young individuals from our chapter received their State Degrees. These individuals included Kate Davies, Alexa Landcaster, Macy Maloney, Trista Buescher, Larell Chandler, Emily Christopherson, Lexie Wrenfrow, and Kylee Erickson. To receive their State Degrees, these individuals had to meet certain requirements. That had to create an SLC project that has to include over $1,000 dollars invested into their project or over 300 hours committed to their project. The State FFA website says that only 6% of FFA members receive their state degrees. Given this statistic, it shows just how much work was put into these individuals’ applications and their diligence and interest in FFA.
While at the State leadership Conference, our chapter had one Career Development Event, CDE, team compete. This team was the Floriculture team. This four member group competed in multiple areas while at the state competition. Four areas had to be completed while competing. They included, Plant ID, a floral arrangement, a corsage, Planting skills, as well as a test. This test was split into two sections; a knowledge based test and a problem solving test. The knowledge based test determines an individual’s overall ability to identify terms and things associated with floriculture. The solving problem test was based on one’s ability to correctly solve problems based on arrangement prices and greenhouse dimensions. As an overall team, the Weiser FFA chapter placed 10th. This team was Elaina Hoffman, Naomi Chandler, Mattie Shirts and Kate Davies
A variety of other competitions were present at the FFA Conference. One specific one was Extemporaneous Speaking. In this LDE or Leadership Development Event, the individual is given three topics. They are able to choose just one and then are given just 30 minutes to research the topic in its entirety before they present the topic in a 5 – 7 minute speech completely memorized. Clayton Moore was one out of 10 chosen to be in the top four. He overall won 4th in Extemporaneous Speaking and accepted his award while at SLC’s.
While at SLC’s, our chapter members had the option to choose from three interesting industry tours. The first industry tour was at Moss Greenhouse. While at this greenhouse, our members learned about vital greenhouse care and experienced new technical advancements. For example, this greenhouse has flower baskets placed on a continuous loop that rotates throughout the day. Each basket received the same amount of water due to technical programming. Once a watering cycle was finished it would continue the process over and over as directed. The same was done with fertilizer. The second industry tour that was available was at Riverence Steelhead. Riverence Steelhead is a hatchery that raises steelhead from the egg all the way to release and market. While on the tour individuals got to see all edges of the fish as well as feeling styles and maintenance of the hatchery. The facility included a partial inside and outside section. The building that we were able to visit was located in Twin Falls with the main building being located in Buhl, Idaho. The last industry tour took place at Scoular. While on this visit, members of our chapter were able to experience what it was like to produce and process grain and animal food products. The State Leadership Conference was an experience that our chapter is eternally grateful for. We got to participate in fun activities such as line dances and pre-session games. We were able to hear from various high officials including Advisors from the University of Idaho and Idaho FFA Foundation members, even the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Debbie Critchfield. We were able to listen to the retiring addresses of all state officers. Each speech was unique and added to the joy of our trip. Although all of these events were incredible, the most wonderful thing that came out of the State Leadership Conference would be the election of Clayton Moore to FFA State Treasurer. As stated before Clayton is the current president of the Weiser FFA Chapter; he also happens to be the current Western District President as well. Clayton has been an avid advocate for agriculture throughout his whole life as State Treasurer he will continue to advocate for agriculture and the FFA. The process for Clayton to be elected for this position was a daunting task. He has to undergo many grueling interview processes and on more than one occasion become very personal with the nominating committee. The Weiser FFA Chapter is excited for Claytons future in FFA and believes he will do great things as the State FFA Treasurer. We are proud of Clayton and wish him the best of luck on his journey to come.
