National FFA Organization

Culver’s supported the country’s next generation of agricultural leaders by sponsoring FFA Day at the recent National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s annual convention and trade show in Nashville. The restaurant’s senior marketing manager Jessie Corning joined us by phone to talk about Culver’s commitment to FFA and agriculture. This segment aired on the Feb. 11, 2017, “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio Sirius XM Channel 147.

"FFA Today" contributor and host of the Off-Farm Income Podcast Matt Brechwald talks to Ariana Gaston, an FFA member from Delaware working to preserve the state's history. This segment aired on the Feb. 4, 2017, “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio Sirius XM Channel 147.

In January, 75 state FFA officers traveled to South Africa for a 12-day educational and cultural experience. Kentucky FFA President Ben Pinkston, New Jersey FFA Secretary Renée Stillwell, Florida’s Area 2 Vice President Hunter Burnsed and Nebraska FFA President Kaitlyn Hanvey chronicle their most memorable encounters. This segment aired on the Feb. 4, 2017, “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio Sirius XM Channel 147.

FFA enjoyed a front row seat to the 2017 Presidential Inaugural Parade during RFD-TV’s Rural Tractor Brigade. Hear from Pennsylvania Sentinel Garrett Jenkins, Vice President Jacob Kline, Treasurer Madeline Buss, and Chaplain Tricia Hojnowski who led the delegation of tractors down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House. This segment aired on the Feb. 4, 2017, “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio Sirius XM Channel 147.

Former Midvale (Idaho) FFA member Molly Roberts Sparrow worked with her father to develop a professional rodeo act with a team of miniature mules, and her involvement in that business led to her being named the 2014 Idaho State Star in Agribusiness. Recently married, Molly and John Sparrow met while attending a Washington Leadership Conference and, as the saying goes, the rest is history. This segment aired on the Jan. 28, 2017 “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio SiriusXM Channel 147.

Orion Samuelson talks with members of the Mackay (Idaho) FFA Chapter about their SAEs, which range from helping at the local library to roasting coffee to working on the chapter’s radio program. And Mackay FFA Advisor Trent Van Leuven describes the chapter’s fish lab, where chapter members raise tilapia, rainbow trout, cutthroat and sturgeon. (Photo from Trent Van Leuven.) This segment aired on the Jan. 28, 2017 “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio SiriusXM Channel 147.

Riley Keinbaum, president of the Deary FFA Chapter in Idaho, has a one-of-a-kind SAE: He oversees a 15 million-year-old fossil bed located on his family’s property. Riley’s grandfather exposed the bed in 1972, and since then, fossils of leaves, sticks, flowers, insects and fish have been discovered. Riley explains why the fossil bed has caught the attention of NASA, John Deere and many others. This segment aired on the Jan. 21, 2017 “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio SiriusXM Channel 147.

At the American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention in Phoenix, Ariz., Mark Oppold had an opportunity to talk with two Arizona state FFA officers. State FFA President McKenna Mellon and State FFA Vice President Annily Hawks describe the five C’s of Arizona agriculture: Copper, Cattle, Citrus, Cotton and Climate. The state officers represent some 10,300 FFA members in 75 chapters in Arizona. This segment aired on the Jan. 21, 2017 “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio SiriusXM Channel 147.

Michael Scuse, acting USDA deputy secretary, and daughter Holly Scuse Hufford, agriscience teacher at Smyrna Middle School in Delaware, share their personal stories about what led them both to successful careers in agriculture. They had an exceptional opportunity to work together when Scuse was Delaware’s secretary of agriculture at the same time Hufford was Delaware state FFA president. This segment aired on the Jan. 14, 2017 “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio SiriusXM Channel 147.

Orion Samuelson introduces us to Katie Jones and Cristian Lamas from the Capitol FFA Chapter in Carson City, Nev. Katie and Cristian talk about the chapter’s floriculture project that benefited local domestic violence and breast cancer organizations, and they respond to Orion’s questions: If you could go anywhere in the world and do what you most want to do, Where would you go? What would you do? This segment aired on the Jan. 14, 2017 “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio SiriusXM Channel 147.

Members of the Frontier FFA Chapter at East High School in Cheyenne, Wyo., and FFA advisor Joe Allen explain what they find most inspiring and rewarding in their agriculture classes and in FFA. By using technology and sharing life stories, Allen makes lessons taught in the classroom more real and relatable to the students. (From Wyoming Department of Education) This segment aired on the Jan. 14, 2017 “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio SiriusXM Channel 147.

As an agriculture specialist for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Stuart Parsons works to prevent the introduction of pests and diseases into the United States from other countries. The former Ohio FFA district officer uses his agricultural background to perform risk assessments of passengers and cargo at the airport in Columbus, Ohio. Stuart describes one shipment that involved geckos and cornhole boards! (Photo of Stuart Parsons being interviewed by Orion Samuelson.) This segment aired on the January 7, 2017 “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio SiriusXM Channel 147.

Former Pennsylvania state FFA officer Allison Hoover describes her circuitous route from her home state to California, with stops along the way in Costa Rica and Ghana in West Africa. She came to Ripon Christian High School in Ripon, Calif., to start the school’s agriculture program and FFA chapter, and now in her second year, Allison is an enthusiastic advocate of agricultural education and FFA. This segment aired on the January 7, 2017 “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio SiriusXM Channel 147.

Mark Poeschl reflects on his first five months as CEO of the National FFA Organization and the National FFA Foundation. A former FFA member and past Nebraska state FFA president, Poeschl discusses three personal priorities for FFA – inclusion and diversity, expanding the giving base, and recruiting and retaining ag educators – and he offers his New Year’s resolution for FFA. This segment aired on the December 31, 2016 “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio SiriusXM Channel 147.

For 18 years, the River View FFA Chapter in Warsaw, Ohio, has organized and hosted an annual Touch of Country Christmas event for area elementary students. FFA advisor Alyssa McMullen and chapter president Eden Ehman explain how chapter members transformed the ag shop into a winter wonderland so their guests could enjoy a petting zoo, pony rides and other activities. (Coshocton Beacon Today photo.) This segment aired on the December 24, 2016 “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio SiriusXM Channel 147.