New York State Officers Hit the Road - Fall 2017
October 2-6, 2017 | This past week, the New York State Officers hit the road to tour agriculture programs and FFA chapters across the state. Members showed off their skills in Barnyard Olympics, and their chapter pride while giving tours of their agriculture classrooms, greenhouses, and gardens. State Officers facilitated workshops during several chapter visits, where students learned how to risk boldly, live the legacy and follow their path. Each workshop consisted of various games and activities that were used to help students grow as leaders, break out of their comfort zones, and become aware of opportunities in the FFA. The five day tour started with the farthest west FFA chapter in the state, Clymer FFA, and ended in the east, with the John Bowne FFA chapter in New York City.
The State Officers took the opportunity to tour Wards Natural Sciences and Wegmans, both supporters of the FFA, and were able to learn a little bit more about their companies. NY FFA is successful because of the support we receive from companies such as these and we want to continue to find ways that we can continue to work with each other. The State Officers also had the opportunity to visit the location of the 2018 State Convention, which will be held at the Blue Cross Arena, Radisson Hotel and the Convention Center in Rochester, NY!
Members and State Officers alike, look forward to State Officer tour because of all the opportunities that it offers. Paige Thorne from the Carthage FFA chapter looks forward to State Officer tour because,” I get to meet new people and see the State Officer Team all at once.” Traveling over 1,500 miles and meeting nearly 1,000 members always makes this experience great, expressed Megan Lamb, State Vice President! The diversity of the agriculture industry in New York is reflected in the diversity of each of the chapters we visited, Megan continued. The State Officer team would like to thank everyone for being such great hosts and we look forward to seeing you all at future events.
Respectfully Submitted by, Kimberly Doyle, NY FFA
State Reporter, 2017-2018
COLT Conference - September 30, 2017
Cornell Collegiate FFA Hosts 130 FFA Members for Chapter Officer Leadership Training
One day is a short amount of time, but COLT conference is paramount to a successful year ahead for chapter leaders. COLT conference is packed full of workshops that are facilitated by Cornell’s Collegiate FFA and State FFA Officers which help lay the groundwork for a successful year as a chapter. Teamwork, fundraising, and building relationships are just a few of the topics that are addressed with these leaders while at COLT Conference. Students are required to meet new people, try new things, and push themselves out of their comfort zones in order to become a better leader for their chapter. Leaders from the same chapter worked together to complete a team challenge which involved creating their own emblem that represented their own team or chapter. Paige Warren a member of the Otselic Valley FFA chapter expressed, “I thought that it was a great activity and had fun doing it!”
Cornell Collegiate FFA has been hosting COLT Conference for the last decade as a way for their members to play a role in developing future leaders. High school members are not the only ones receiving a benefit from this experience, Collegiate FFA members are able to use their passions and efforts to continue to serve the organization in hopes of reaching their own goals. Alison Parrott, a member of the Cornell CFFA says that the chapter has many goals for COLT, one of which is “to make it as successful as possible for the chapters attending so that they can grab on to the ideas they acquire at COLT and bring them back to strengthen their chapter with the new information that students gained.”
COLT Conference is one of many leadership conferences offered to our members throughout the year. Our members also have opportunities for further development at 212/360, Governmental & Global Awareness Institute, and State Convention!
Respectfully Submitted by, Kimberly Doyle
NY FFA State Reporter, 2017-2018
US Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue visits John Bowne High School, Flushing, NY
October 11, 2017: Today we had the honor of a visit from the US Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue. Several of our students toured him around our farm and facilities while explaining our many operations. After the tour, 25 students had lunch and a Q&A session with the Secretary. Secretary Perdue stated that he has been all over the country, visited many Agriculture Programs, and he believes ours to be the best he has ever seen. The Secretary noted the comprehensive programming and numerous opportunities we offer our Aggies. A humorous quote from one of our students, "wow, he's a really cool guy". This was a great opportunity for our students to feel validated and proud because such a busy and important person would take 3 and 1/2 hours of his day to spend with them. The highest political person in agriculture told them he was proud of their accomplishments and pursuits in this field. It doesn’t get better than that.
Steven S. Perry, Assistant Principal
Agriculture Department
John Bowne High School
