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FFA Officers thrive on personal contact with members

National FFA Officers say that they enjoy personal contact with other FFA members. By the time their terms end, the six National FFA Officers potentially are in contact with 20 percent of the more than 500,000 FFA members around the nation.

National FFA Secretary Mitch Baker tells Brownfield that in addition to gaining airport navigation skills during 300 days of travel, the FFA members that he meets have an impact on him.

“Every ag education program is diverse and different, except for the fact that everyone’s a family, and it’s a very big family feel that gives FFA members a sense of belonging that they might not otherwise have,” said Baker, during a stop at Brownfield Ag News Tuesday. “That’s the biggest thing I’ve taken away from this year of service.”

Much of what the national officers do is to talk one-on-one with FFA members. FFA Southern Region Vice-President Jackson Harris says that in addition to talking, he feels it’s necessary to listen.

“That’s what we were trained to do, but also that’s just kind of what we feel like we ought to do because that first thing in any meaningful conversation is to figure out where the other person’s at and to really listen to their story and their heart and then be able to connect with them after you start to understand who they are,” said Harris.

Harris, who is from Alabama, and Baker, from Tennessee, are about half done with their terms as National FFA Officers.

AUDIO: FFA National Officers (11 min. MP3)