South Dakota FFA state officers in conjunction with 49 district FFA officers hosted over 40 legislatures and special guests for a legislative breakfast to connect about current trends in agriculture, education, FFA, and also the political process last week (Jan. 12, 2023) at the Izaak Walton League facility in Pierre.
State officers led a breakfast program that allowed state and district FFA officers to meet with their district legislators to share the importance of Agricultural Education and FFA programming within our state. Through these conversations, FFA members were able to learn more about the legislative process and how their district legislatures came to their position and made their career choices. The opportunity for members and legislators to meet allowed FFA members to share their personal experiences within agricultural education and FFA. Gage Anderson, a district officer from Lemmon shared, “I enjoyed district officer training and getting to work with my team. My favorite activity was when we were in the capital and we worked on improving our communication skills. I’m very excited to help my team contribute to improving our district’s FFA programs.“
The Legislative breakfast was one component of the two day district officer training. During the training, state FFA officers facilitated workshops for the 49 district FFA officers that covered topics of being a host, leading for others, practicing authentic growth, communicating effectively, and building for the future. District officers spent time working as a team to develop plans for the upcoming year and crafting their message to share with others during their year of service. Dakota Jensen, one of seven district officers from district VI added, “While talking to my legislators, I learned that they were not able to be in FFA because their schools did not have it, but they are very interested in it. I was able to share my experiences in FFA with them, the benefits I have received, and how they can get involved in their local chapters now.”
Courtesy photo.
District Officer Training and Legislative Breakfast are made possible by our sponsors, as a special project of the South Dakota FFA Foundation: Citi Bank, South Dakota Association of Cooperatives, South Dakota Bankers Association, South Dakota Farmers Union, South Dakota Association of Agricultural Educators, South Dakota Crop Improvement Association, South Dakota Soybean Processors, and South Dakota Wheat Commission, and our SD FFAStar Partners: Twin Cities Region Northland Ford Dealers, Farm Credit Services of America, Bayer, CHS Foundation, South Dakota Corn Utilization Council, Agtegra Cooperative, Farmers Mutual of Nebraska, BankWest, Butler Machinery Company, Corteva Agriscience/Pioneer, The First National Bank of Sioux Falls, Dacotah Bank, ADM of Harrold, Miller, and Tulare, Titan/GoodYear Tires, First Dakota Bank, RDO Equipment, C&B Equipment, Army ROTC, East River Electric, Hanson & Associates, LLC, Midwest Veterinary Service, BASF, Croplan by Winfield United, Riverview, LLP, Titan Machinery, Citi, Green Thumb Commodities, Christensen Farms, LG Seeds, Olsen Custom Farms, and Leisinger Farms.
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