#1 Gopher Fan.

********************************************

After spending the day

celebrating 10 years of the CHS Miracle of Birth Center

with amazing farm families and veterinarians,

meeting more cool fair-goers,

watching the super legit ag magic show,

and eating corn on the cob for supper,

we had the privilege to meet

Bob Bruininks the President

of the University of Minnesota.

That is...after we finally realized the guy

in all the Gopher gear was him!

As current and future Gophers, we were very excited to meet the man who has been such an instrumental part of making the University of Minnesota what it is, being a part of the faculty for over 40 years. A true Gopher, through and through, President Bruininks and his wife Susan were walking around the CHS Miracle of Birth Center with their grandchildren, enjoying one of the many sites of the State Fair.

FFA members, meeting President Bruininks was an awesome experience for Eric, Justin, and Liz because, as we said earlier, when we first saw him...we just thought he was another hardcore Gopher fan. As we started to talk to him, we could sense the passion he had for the University and the students he serves. For him, being the #1 Gopher Fan goes right down to his core, just as the FFA goes straight down to ours. When President Bruininks dons that maroon and gold hat or when we zip up our corduroy jackets, we are representing organizations that are close to our hearts. Keep in mind that in or out of those blue jackets, we are still representing the FFA and being agricultural education's #1 Advocate.

So next time someone stops and asks you about the emblem on the back of your jacket or the cow you're showing at the fair, take a little time out of your day and share what is important to you with them.

We're 1/3 of the way done with the State Fair...this means there are 8 days left of the Great Minnesota Get Together....8 days to catch up with the State Officer Team at the FFA Chapter House and Leadership Center!

Enjoy these last few days of summer!

Stationed by the door leading to the plow,

JC and LIZ

Day 2 - MN State Fair.

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What better way is there to end the second day of the Great Minnesota Get Together than to recite the FFA creed with some of our fellow members for a group of fair-goers from the great state of California?

When Kirsten was asked to recite the FFA Creed, she jumped at the chance.

"I BELIEVE IN THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE,

WITH A FAITH BORN NOT OF WORDS, BUT OF DEEDS..."

Without missing a beat, Andrew Miron of the Forest Lake FFA Chapter chimes in. As Justin and I both added a few lines here and there, the smiles on the faces around us got bigger and bigger. Turns out one of the people we were reciting to used to judge the Creed Speaking CDE at the University of Minnesota Invite! He is a staff member at the U and was enjoying the fair with friends.

FFA members, it is always great to hear those familiar words of the Creed. Keep it in mind as you begin your new school year and your adventures in agriculture and agricultural education.

Hope to see you at the State Fair!

Stationed by the plow,

LIZ

Sharing your message.

************************************************
MN FFA MEMBERS:
HOW DO WE TELL OUR STORY?
The Minnesota FFA Officer Team
had the opportunity last week to learn
how to share our message with the public about
agriculture, agricultural education, and FFA.

So in the spirit of SOUNDBITES, here's what kept us busy last week in the Twin Cities...

• Learning more about our teammates while scavenger hunting in Barnes and Noble

• Picnic-ing and connecting with Metro Area FFA Alumni & Friends, our families, and our mentors - as well as reuniting with our Region Presidents!

• Meeting CHS Miracle of Birth Center staff and barnyard attendants who will spend the duration of State Fair with our team

• Practicing communication techniques with Donna Moenning of the Midwest Dairy Association that will come in handy while meeting Fair Goers at State Fair

• Eating breakfast with the Executive Team of AgriBank and hearing about the people behind one of the MN FFA Association's great partners (SHOUT OUT to Becca Morris and her awesome social media training we had earlier this summer!)

• Planning our chapter visits that will take place in late September with the Region 7 & 8 Officer Teams.

Minnesota FFA Members,
if someone were to ask you
what FFA is...what would you say?

How would you share your message about the organization that makes a positive difference in the lives of students like YOU and I by developing our potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education? How would you explain your role in agriculture or agricultural education?

An elevator ride is maybe 30 seconds long.
Let's say you get in an elevator wearing your blue corduroy jacket
and someone asks you,
"Why are you dressed like that?"
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?

Communicating our personal messages is essential to the future of our organization. As you show animals at the State Fair or go out on a corn drive this fall, tell people who you are and what you represent.

WE ARE THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE.
It is up to us to make sure that it is a bright future.

Stop by the CHS Miracle of Birth Center
at the State Fair and say hello to the MN FFA Officers!
We'd love to hear what you and your chapter has in the works
as you begin your new school year.

Hope to see you all at the State Fair!
Stationed by the plow,
LIZ

Farmfest 2010!

FARMFEST 2010

(Liz Rabbe, Erin Daninger, Justin Crowley, Jason Troendle, Maddie Collin, Kirsten Pagel)

WHOA! Farmfest started off with a bang of HEAT! On Tuesday August 3rd, the 6 Constitutional Officers were on their way to Morgan, MN to celebrate Farmfest. As we arrived to this huge agricultural gathering at 8 a.m., we realized it was already 90 degrees out! We were able to help the University of Minnesota out at their tent and were in charge of welcoming and mingling with the University's Alumni and the educational spin the wheel. People of all ages walked through the tent and learned more about agriculture through questions like what is the average age of a farmer today?

Throughout the day, the six of us rotated positions and two of us ventured off with Val Aarsvold to meet and thank our partners in the FFA. This had to be one of my highlights of Farmfest. I had such a fantastic time socializing with our partners like Dekalb, BASF, Minnesota Soybean Processors, and Farm Bureau.

We were also given free-time to explore Farmfest for an hour. When I ventured off with Justin we ran into some of the Fulda and Waseca FFA members. We were able to catch up on what was going on in their local chapters and how they were enjoying Farmfest. Thanks to Farm Bureau, all of us were able to enjoy outstanding pork chops on a stick! To conclude our first day at Farmfest we were invited to and Ag. Education Seminar and discussed the future of Agriculture Education.

Most of us ventured back to Region V President, Hillary's house to spend the night. Hillary took us out to a beautiful restaurant where the team bonded through hot wings and making pyramids with pop cans.

Jason, Liz, Maddie, Justin, Brittany, Hillary, and Kelsey came back to Farmfest for day two, which was considerably cooler, and waited in line for 45 minutes for a pancake breakfast sponsored by Farm Bureau. At 10:30, we all attended the governors debate which consisted of our recently elected governor candidates Emmer and Dayton. It was refreshing to hear first hand the views on agriculture the potential new Minnesota Governor held. After this, everyone went their separate ways and departed for home.

Farmfest 2010 was truly an educational experience for all of us. We were able to help educate the public about agriculture and educate ourselves about government issues and expand our knowledge about agriculture. Hope to see you all there next year! :-)

Stationed by the Emblem of Washington,

Maddie Collin

One Element.

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A week of adventures in WASHINGTON, D.C. for Jason and Liz!
Between meeting other
State Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Secretaries
from across the country,
finding the best frozen yogurt shop in the world,
and voting on which issues would come to delegate committees
at National Convention, the week seemed to fly by!

Here are my TOP 10 HIGHLIGHTS from SPC, 2010.

1.) Visiting my favorite city for the 5th time in my life.

2.) Gallavanting around DC with State Officers from Nebraska and New York while stopping by the National Archives, Air and Space Museum, and Natural History Museum - as well as taking some pretty legit pictures!

3.) Finding the best frozen yogurt shop in the world, Fro-Zen-Yo, and visiting it twice more before heading home.

4.) Joining National FFA Alumni for dinner and having the opportunity to sit at a table with President Reagan's Secretary of Agriculture.

5.) Attending my first professional baseball game that did not involve the Minnesota Twins - Washington Nationals beat the Atlanta Braves!

6.) Hitting up Capitol Hill and having the chance to visit with Representatives Walz, Bachman, and aides from Oberstar and Peterson's offices.

7.) Watching Addy zip around on a Segway!

8.) Voting on issues that will now come before delegate committees at National Convention (see below)!

• At-Large Elections of National Officers
• Increasing Student Voice at the National Level
• Using American Suppliers for FFA Unlimited Items
• Vet Science CDE
• SAE Standards
• FFA Degree Expansion
  

9.) Hearing reflections from the National Officers at cool locations such as in front of the Capitol Building and the Jefferson Memorial!

10.) Touring DC at night and watching fireworks over the Potomac from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial - SO awesome!

All in all, a great week!
I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity
to revisit my favorite city, this time with Addy and Jason.

Minnesota FFA members, get excited for National Convention!
Big things are happening within our organization
and members like you and I are filled with
INFINITE POTENTIAL.

Stationed by the plow,
LIZ

Lanesboro FFA Officer Retreat

Thursday August 5th

The Lanesboro FFA Chapter Officers and their Advisor journeyed up to the FFA Chapter House and Leadership Center on Thursday to join Liz Rabbe and myself for a day. Arriving at 7:30 am Liz and I set up for the arrival of our friends and created many activities and multicolored flip charts. The Lanesboro van pulled in at right around 9 o'clock and four girls piled out of the van after taking a nap on the way up. They were well rested and ready to roll! Sarah Freese, Emma McGrath, Paige Dohrmann, and Katrina Marie began the day by being informed we where going to look at information like we were shopping. With this in mind we checked out what was in store for the day and took an oath for the day and the rest of the year of service to:

Support Honestly

Risk Boldly

Seize the Day

Seek Improvement

With the theme in mind we began to "style it" by looking at different styles of leadership. Each different style was matched up with a different bird. After taking a short test we determined there was at least one of each type within the room: a dove, an owl, a peacock, and an eagle. We all had a chance to look at our own personal style of leadership and how we can then match up as a unit throughout the year.
We then went outside and enjoyed a beautiful day as we played an activity in teams. The goal was for each team to pull the entire other team off the blocks. We then discussed how the activity modeled and did not model teamwork.

Heading back inside we began to looked to "connect it" and how the officers could work together throughout the entire year. Mr. Tim Willette the advisor, Liz and myself had a chance for one on one discussion time with each of the officers to check in about their roles, priorities, and expectations for the year. The officers have a great understanding of positions and know where they are at. We also each set some personal goals for the year as well as some goals for the team which where shared later.

Upon connecting it we began to "work it". We began to brainstorm about developing the Program Of Activities for the year. We took a look at what was done in the Lanesboro FFA Chapter in the past as well as what to possible try that was completely new. Lots of ideas where brought up including having a barbecue or potluck as well as using more advertising including making posters for the chapter! Mr. Willette then handed out last years POA and we took a more direct approach at making changes for the upcoming year including: having 100% involvement in Career Development Events by members, grow the membership, and better publisize and develop each members Supervised Agriculture Experience. These are a great set of goals and ideas and we hope you are able to accomplish them together as a team while having a great time!

Next we "matched it" and dove deeper into the vision of the year. We watched a short video and thought about what legacy the officer team wanted to leave with the chapter when their year of service ends. At this time we shared our personal and team goals and how we could match them together in order to accomplish them as a team.

Finally we "owned it" by expressing that we only have a year to influence and serve in our positions. Each person is put in the spot they were because someone believe in them. We are truly in a student lead organization and it is our choice what to do with that honor.

We finished a SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUSLY wonderful day with a trust circle and dinner at Applebee's.

Thank you Katrina, Paige, Emma, Sarah, and Mr. Willette for allowing us to be a part of your officer retreat and we look forward to hearing about your year!

Stationed by the Rising Sun

Jason Troendle