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March 30, 2018 CapitalPress.com 5 Oregon FFA Oregon FFA installs new state leaders Nearly 1,500 members travel for convention Agency responsible for breadth of programs By GEORGE PLAVEN Capital Press REDMOND, Ore. — The new- est members of the Oregon FFA state officer team realized, shortly after their election Monday, that each of them had one simple thing in common when deciding to run for a position of leadership. Each was inspired by a key fig- ure along the way. Take Andrew Gmirkin, who was chosen by delegates as the 2018-19 Oregon FFA state president. Gmir- kin, of Eagle Point, Ore., does not come from a traditional agricultur- al background — his mom is a li- brarian, and his dad makes jewelry. He initially felt out of place joining FFA, until one of his chapter offi- cers assured him that it does not matter whether he was raised on a farm or ranch. “You can do anything in this or- ganization you set your mind to,” Gmirkin said. “Now we’re here.” Or there’s Mackenzie Price, of Sutherlin, Ore., who was elected state treasurer. As a freshman in high school, Price said she strug- gled with feelings of self-worth. It wasn’t until she attended a leader- ship camp that others helped her to realize her potential. “I didn’t understand everything I was capable of,” Price said. Together, the group made a com- mitment to be the same kind of peo- ple who help their peers feel confi- dent to achieve their goals. Devin Thacker, the newly elect- ed state FFA secretary from Canby, Ore., said a big part of it is to just be yourself. “That is honestly the best advice I’ve ever gotten,” Thacker said. Elections took place Monday morning during the delegate busi- ness session, kicking off the final day of the 2018 Oregon FFA state convention held at the Deschutes Fair & Expo Center in Redmond, Ore. Nearly 1,500 FFA members — or “blue jackets,” as they call them- selves — from 102 local chapters attended the convention to compete in career development events, at- FFA workshop highlights careers at ODA By GEORGE PLAVEN Capital Press George Plaven/Capital Press The 2018-19 Oregon FFA state officer team assembles for the final gavel of the state convention, held in Redmond, Ore. From left are Andrew Gmirkin, president; Dylan Westfall, vice president; Devin Thacker, secretary; Mackenzie Price, treasurer; Sundee Speelman, reporter; and Holly Silvey, sentinel. George Plaven/Capital Press Dylan Westfall, of Hermiston, delivers a speech shortly before state officer elections Monday during the 2018 Oregon FFA State Convention in Redmond. tend workshops and network with colleagues. In addition to Gmirkin, Price and Thacker, the state officer team includes Dylan Westfall, of Herm- iston, as vice president; Sundee Speelman, of Adrian, as reporter; and Holly Silvey, of Bend, as sen- tinel. They will spend much of the next year, post-graduation, teaching and hosting workshops at schools across the state. Kourtney Lehman, who served as Oregon FFA president last year, said the experience gave her the independence and leadership skills necessary for college, while also shaping her perspectives on life. “It was amazing,” Lehman said. “It really pushes us as people to be responsible, to be better.” Lehman, of Baker City, Ore., plans to attend Oregon State Uni- versity in the fall and will major in agricultural business management with a minor in either marketing or communications. The state convention, March 23-26, featured a full schedule of events and competitions as students aimed to represent themselves and their schools at the National FFA Convention & Expo this fall in Indi- anapolis. FFA offers career develop- ment in areas such as job interviews, agricultural issues and parliamenta- ry procedure, designed to enhance students’ critical thinking, speaking and presentation. Several workshops also intro- duced the kids to future opportuni- ties in the working world. The OSU Teach Ag Club hosted “Day in the Life of an Ag Teacher,” while the Oregon Department of Agriculture and USDA Natural Resources Con- servation Service ran down careers available in their agencies to assist farmers and ranchers. But the convention wasn’t all se- rious business. It afforded members plenty of opportunities to cut loose, dance and laugh with their friends. The final session almost had the feel of a rock concert, as state officers charged onto the stage beneath a tunnel of outstretched arms, music pumping and lights flashing. The closing address went to Lee Wesenberg, the outgoing state re- porter from Sutherlin. He boiled down the keys to success into six main points: personal philosophy, being your own hero, having intel- lect, conquering your reality and achieving excellence. Spelled out, the acronym is P.H.I.R.E. “Success isn’t about winning or losing. Success doesn’t even have a scoreboard,” Wesenberg said. “In the end, we must seek the impossi- ble.” There are plenty of opportunities to work in agriculture beyond the farm or ranch. That was the message of a work- shop hosted by the Oregon Depart- ment of Agriculture during the 2018 Oregon FFA State Convention in Redmond. Ben Krahn, livestock water quali- ty specialist for the agency’s Confined Animal Feeding Operations program, gave a crash course on the vast inner workings of ODA, everything from foreign marketing and animal safety to helping neighbors resolve disputes. Outreach to Oregon students is part of ODA’s latest five-year stra- tegic plan — what officials call the “agriculture is cool” objective. One thing ODA does not do is make laws, Krahn was quick to clar- ify. He described the department as servants of the Oregon Legislature, which in turn works for the public. “We massage things to figure out what is in the best interest of every- body,” Krahn said. In terms of helping to bring food from the farm to the table, Krahn said ODA not only works abroad by tak- ing trade missions to countries such as China, but at home as well through programs such as the Buy Oregon ini- tiative or Farm-to-School Network. “In Oregon, we grow a crazy amount of food, and a crazy amount of products,” said Krahn, referring the state’s more than 200 types of crops. “We help to market those products.” Fostering co-existence between farms and neighbors is another major issue, Krahn said, and though it can be challenging to solve differences, it can also be fun and enlightening. The agency also has responsibil- ity for protecting natural resources through things like water quality and animal safety. Jobs are available with ODA doing things like brand inspections, health certificates and bio-security, Krahn said. FFA members use downtime to test skills at state convention Blue Mountain Community College hosts event By GEORGE PLAVEN Capital Press George Plaven/Capital Press Ethan Akers, left, and Zachary Ferguison, of the Heppner High School FFA chapter, practice welding patterns using crackers and spray cheese as part of an activity hosted by Blue Mountain Community College at the 2018 Oregon FFA State Convention in Redmond. Beau Ditmore had never before saddled a horse, but he was willing to give it a try Sunday morning at the 2018 Oregon FFA State Convention. Granted, it wasn’t an actual horse, but rather a white plastic barrel fas- tened to a metal stepladder. Still, Dit- more learned the proper way to cinch a saddle around the makeshift steed while Anne Livingston, advisor to the Blue Mountain Community Col- lege Collegiate FFA, provided basic instructions. “It was nerve-wracking,” Dit- more admitted when he was finished. “If it was a real horse, it probably would have bucked.” Ditmore, a freshman at Culver High School in Central Oregon, was on hand to support fellow members of his FFA chapter at the state con- vention, held this year at the De- schutes Fair & Expo Center in Red- mond. BMCC Collegiate FFA, from Pendleton, Ore., was also on hand, bringing along a variety of hands-on activities for the high schoolers to try when they weren’t competing in an event, or waiting for the next work- shop to begin. Livingston, who is also director of marketing for the college, said the activities were meant to give kids something to do during their downtime, as well as introduce them to agricultural programs offered at BMCC. “Nobody likes to walk up and talk to someone they don’t know,” she said. “But if they have a little something interactive, they’ll do that. That inspires the conversation.” Apart from the saddle exercise, FFA members could test their skills in soil judging, practice welding pat- terns with crackers and spray cheese, or fly a tiny drone around an obstacle course marked by winding orange ribbon and blue and yellow balloons. “It’s so fun to work with these kids,” Livingston said. The event was originally envi- sioned to be a competition between BMCC and other collegiate FFA teams, but Livingston said the sched- uling did not work out because many schools were on spring break. Six students from BMCC will- ingly gave up the first five days of their own spring break to participate in the Oregon FFA State Conven- tion, Livingston said. They hoped to show their high school counterparts that attending college is more than just sitting in a room with four white walls listening to lectures. “Hands-on is huge,” Livingston said. “BMCC has relevant stuff.” 13-3/102