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Incoming Missouri FFA state officers reflect on journey

Missouri has a new FFA state officer team.

Incoming Missouri FFA state vice president Emily Nelson said it takes a community for students to reach the state officer team.

Nelson tells Brownfield she didn’t know she could be a state officer…

“I was just a nobody, a city girl,” she said. “So, I worked with my community members to help me have that opportunity to show animals and get an SAE started. And then my ag teachers pushed me out of my comfort zone so that I could come do public speaking, because that was scary, that was hard.”

New Missouri FFA State Vice President Katie Fredrickson said, to her, FFA means opportunity.

She tells Brownfield her family’s agritourism farm – which grew pumpkins, mums, and strawberries – closed four years ago.

“I’ve seen many [FFA] members not have a path in life, including myself, and really find a way in agriculture to build a life for their future and learn about their careers,” Fredrickson said. “I think it’s so important that FFA members have so many opportunities at their fingertips.”

Missouri Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn, a key speaker for the convention, said she wasn’t an FFA member as a student, but was presented with an honorary FFA degree.

“And it was quite an honor,” Chinn said. “I was not expecting that at all. I love working with the FFA kids; they remind me why we all need to continue to do better in agriculture and that it’s all about the future generation.”

Last week’s state FFA convention was the first time the event was held in Columbia and in-person since 2019.

Colton Roy of Trenton was named State President, Hannah Rice of Brunswick is the new State 1st Vice President, Jodi Robinson of Richmond will serve as State Secretary, incoming State Vice Presidents include Cody Garver of St. James, Cooper Hamlin of Crest Ridge, Grace Doss of West Plains, Katie Fredrickson of Carl Junction, Jason Holland of Eldon, Jacob King of Dadeville, Aubrey Jung of Perryville, Emily Nelson of Joplin, Kate Rogers of South Harrison, Allison Schnieder of Silex, Malerie Schutt of Hermann, Annamarie Stone of Centralia and Morgan Watkins of Fort Osage.

Katie Fredrickson and Emily Nelson Interview
Chris Chinn Interview

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