The 98th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, wrapped up at the end of October with several standout moments from Idaho members.
Out of the Idaho FFA members competing in 26 different Career and Leadership Development Events (CDEs), 10 teams or individuals placed in the top 10 nationally.
Among the highlights, Hadlee Brown, member of the Homedale FFA Chapter, earned first place in Creed Speaking – a major national achievement for Idaho FFA. The Creed Speaking event, open to seventh through ninth graders, evaluates members on their memorization and delivery of the FFA Creed, as well as their ability to answer related questions. The Creed emphasizes FFA’s core beliefs in agriculture, citizenship and patriotism, and the event helps students build confidence and strengthen public speaking skills.
Brown, a sophomore, says, “It was a pretty exciting moment. I mean, I'd been working at it for a full year now, and so that was really cool to just see my hard work pay off, and I had a lot of help from different mentors and my parents and my family and my ag teachers and all sorts of different people.”
Brown, a fourth-generation Idaho girl with ranching roots, has started her own purebred cow herd made up of Angus and Hereford cattle that she competes with at shows. Participating in 4-H since she was 8 years old, FFA was a natural fit, and obviously, one she is excelling at.
From left to right: Middleton FFA Advisor Brittany Spangler, followed by Audrey Jenkins, Natalee Berends, Sophia Beitia and Skylr Lucore are pictured. Image courtesy of the Middleton FFA Chapter.
Rachel Rheuby, a Homedale High School FFA advisor, noted that Brown started this process in the fall of her freshman year, and had to progress through the chapter, district, state level and then on to the national level. “She worked hard every step of the way. She was asked three questions every time she presented it. [Brown] loves agriculture and her answers were from her heart! We are so proud of her accomplishment and so glad she is from Homedale.”
Brown said it was an honor to represent Idaho at the national level and was appreciative of the support of her high school. “My ag teachers and my principal organized a watch party at our school, and so all the ag kids that were at my school got to watch the session where they announced us. And so they found out when I won at the same time I did. So that was really cool, but it was just an honor. Looking back on it, I'm super grateful for everything,” she said.
Brown’s national win wasn’t the only major moment for Idaho. Two additional teams earned top-three national finishes: the Kuna FFA Chapter placed third in the Nursery and Landscape CDE, and the Middleton FFA Chapter placed third in the Veterinary Science CDE.
It was only Middleton’s second year competing in Veterinary Sciences, which team member Sophia Beitia said made their success even sweeter. “Our advisor, she’s never coached a team, she’s pretty young too, so we kind of started from scratch. We had no other previous advisors who have ever coached the competition, so we kind of started from scratch and then to get on that national stage was pretty amazing,” Beitia said.
Being raised around livestock and animals made the decision for Beitia to join the Veterinary Science team an easy one. Beitia said, “When I heard it was a competition I could do, it caught my interest because I’ve always loved animals, and veterinary science is something I am interested in, so I thought it would be fun to try it out.” She chalks up the experience as being very rewarding and is grateful for the opportunity.
Maintaining their national presence, Preston FFA Chapter’s milk quality team headed to nationals for a third year in a row, placing fifth overall and Emmy Thomas, a sophomore on the team, earning seventh high individual.
“I was definitely not expecting to be that high, it was kind of amazing,” Thomas recounted.
For Thomas, competing in the milk quality team has become a family tradition. “My mom coached for all my siblings. And so when I was little, I always practiced with them,” Thomas said. “When I got into high school, I wanted to pick it up.”
The Farm Business Management team – Gold, fifth place includes: Mr. Robert Hale – coach, Jack Taylor, Vincent Kisner, Anna Warner, Johnny Bell – eighth high individual. Courtesy image.
Thomas has been around agriculture her whole life, so it was only natural for her to follow in her family’s footsteps. With a few years left wearing the blue corduroy jacket, Thomas plans on competing in the poultry judging and the Environmental and Natural Resources CDEs in the coming year.
Rigby FFA Chapter also had a great year at nationals, taking home fifth place in the Farm Business Management CDE. Johnny Bell, a senior, also placed eighth individually in the event. Bell describes himself as being “pretty surprised” by the announcement.
“I didn’t think I’d be able to get eighth because I had a teammate who beat me at state and things like that. I guess I put in the work and worked hard over the summer, so it ended up going really well,” Bell said.
Bell didn’t actually join FFA until last year. His advisor, Mr. Hale, asked him to join, knowing that he had potential in economics. During this event, the team is judged on their use of business management and economic principles, analysis of farm records and management resources, and consideration given to risk management practices.
“It was a really good experience,” Bell said.
Additionally, there were 78 Idaho FFA members who earned their American FFA Degree this year. And, thanks to generous donors, the Idaho FFA Foundation awarded $38,600 in travel grants to Idaho FFA Chapters.
Preston FFA Chapter's Milk Quality team, from left to right, includes Bailey Sears, Abby Sturges, Audrey Sorenson and Emelia Thomas. Image courtesy of the Preston FFA Chapter.
