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Olander new Minnesota FFA president

The new Minnesota FFA president sees a year of opportunity ahead despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ben Olander of the Staples-Motley FFA chapter says the last two months have been a struggle, and the coronavirus remains an obstacle.

“I think that we can overcome that obstacle pretty easily. And I’m confident in the team that I’m with and Minnesota FFA and the ways that we’re going to be innovative throughout this year. And the ways that we’re going to go about doing our normal camps like State Greenhand Leadership Conference.”

Last week Olander was elected president during Minnesota’s 91^st state convention, which was done virtually for the first time.

“When I was applying to become a state officer, we had been notified in early March that things were just going to look a whole lot different this year. And even back then I was looking at it and still want to take in this experience because even if it’s going to be virtual or not, it’s still going to be an amazing experience.”

Olander and his state officer team will serve nearly 11,000 Minnesota FFA members over the next year.